


Guarding a Heart

by Intreker05



Category: Fear the Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Action, Alternate History, Bodyguard, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/F, Falling In Love, Fluff, Modern Era, Real Life, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-19
Updated: 2017-11-24
Packaged: 2018-11-02 09:38:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 48,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10941825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Intreker05/pseuds/Intreker05
Summary: Katherine Sands has provided security for Hollywood stars, big-name musicians, and world-renowned athletes. Her new job has her working on the set of Fear the Walking Dead, providing security for an actress named Alycia Debnam-Carey. While most of her jobs have been anything but ordinary for a former Marine who was more used to spitting out mouthfuls of sand than rubbing shoulders with Hollywood royalty, this on is especially challenging as she finds herself facing old demons and fighting to do what she knows is right. But as her feelings start to get the best of her, Kat finds herself torn between following orders and following her heart.This romance borrows names from real people, set during the filming of the second season of Fear the Walking Dead. All events in this work are fictional.





	1. Chapter One

Chapter One

“You’re fucking joking, right?” I asked, staring at the folder that Daniel had just handed me. “Mexico? To guard some pampered little brat?” You’re fucking joking.”

But I knew he wasn’t. Daniel didn’t joke. He’s been a Marine, just like me. In fact, he’d been my Sergeant during my first deployment to Afghanistan five years ago when I was a jacked up little boot and he’d made me get my shit together. He’d gotten out right around the time I deployed to Afghanistan for the second time and then after I got back from Kuwait, which had been a nice, short deployment, just six months that time, he’d sent me an e-mail saying that he knew I’d be getting out soon and that he had a job for me. He’d opened a security firm in Hollywood. I don’t know what I’d expected. Maybe politicians and businessmen. Not celebrities and pampered rich kids. 

So far, I’d provided security for the Golden Globes. I’d held back lines of screaming teenagers at a Justin Bieber concert. I’d motioned five hundred nerds in cosplay into an arena to hear Stan Lee talk about the most recent Spider Man movie or some such shit. I’d shot Narcan up some idiot celeb’s nose when he OD’d at a movie premiere in the bathroom of the theater. But this time, it was an all expenses paid vacation to fucking Mexico. Back to the desert, I guess. 

Daniel motioned for me to open the folder and I did. There was a dossier in the left pocket, an overview of the actress I’d be keeping an eye on, and behind that an info sheet on why we’d been hired, expected threats, that kind of thing. In the other pocket, a plane ticket, itinerary, hotel reservations. All the logistics. I pulled out the dossier and mission sheet and scanned them.

There was a show being filmed in Mexico. Fear the Walking Dead. I’d seen the first season. It was ok. They’d started having some issues around the set with theft, some harassment. There were some rumors that it could be one of the local cartels who was upset that they’d been turned away when they’d tried to extort money from some of the crew. Because of that, we’d be licensed and armed in Mexico. I’d be going down there with four others from our group and five from another security company to provide direct security for the actors on and off the set. I’d been assigned to Alycia Debnam-Carey, a twenty-three year old Australian actress who I knew from having previously watched The 100. I shrugged. Maybe not a pampered little brat. At least I’d have something nice to look at while I worked. 

Daniel must have read my mind, or my face. “Kat,” he said. “Make sure you keep your mind on your job.”

I grinned up at him. “I’m nothing if not a professional, boss.”

“I’m still fielding phone calls about a certain politician’s daughter that you got caught in the bathroom with.”

“I was off the clock,” I argued. 

Daniel just shook his head. He was like an older brother who vacillated between being amused and exasperated by me. I just rolled with the punches. Besides, she’d been hot and I’d been in competition with Coop that night. I’d won. 

I checked the ticket. 0600 tomorrow morning. A couple of the other guys asked the important questions, like whether Daniel thought this was a credible threat. He shrugged at that. “I’ve gotten reports in both directions. We’re relieving a security team that was down there last season and they never had any issues, but there have been some assaults in the town where the cast and crew are staying. A cameraman was roughed up outside a bar one night and two production assistants had their hotel room broken into. It’s good to be cautious. Assume that the threats are credible.”

“How long are we on site?” Coop asked. 

He was the only one of us who had kids so it was understandable why he’d asked. 

“Eight weeks, maybe ten. Then we get a six week break and head back down. If you’re still interested. The pay’s worth it, trust me. All expenses paid, shit’s cheap where you’ll be in Mexico. It’s like being in the Suck again. All that cash goes into your bank account.”

“Speak for yourself,” Cap laughed. “If there’s bars in town, I know what I’ll be doing on off days.” 

Coop nudged him in the ribs with an elbow. “You’d better be careful there, Cap. You’re used to making that officer bank in the sandbox. Now you’re on the bottom with us grunts.”

I leaned back in my chair and let the conversation drift over me. It was a comfortable feeling. The camaraderie and our familiar backgrounds. Coop had been a grunt, boots on the ground, early when the Suck really was the Suck and they were sending lots of people back in body bags. He’d served for fourteen years before a piece of shrapnel earned him a new knee and a medical discharge. Cap was young. An officer fresh out of college ROTC and into the Army. He’d served for six years, decided not to continue his service, and tried to go work for his dad’s bank when he’d gotten out. He’d hated it. So he’d become a truck driver, and then, somehow, ended up hooking up with Daniel through a friend of a friend. He’d only been here for six months but he was a good guy, a gentle giant with skin like smooth caramel and an easy smile.

Nick was a tall, former college basketball player who had joined the air force but was too tall to fly planes so he became a nurse instead, which always fascinated me because he had hands the size of dinner plates and I couldn’t imagine him delicately placing an IV or suturing a wound. Finally, Sam, the only other female that worked for Daniel, had been a Marine and, awkwardly enough, was my ex. She and I had dated during our Kuwait deployment and had ended things pretty soon after we got back to the states. She had a boyfriend now who worked at a restaurant downtown and took classes at UCLA. We were able to keep things professional at this point, but there had been some weird weeks at the beginning. 

“Alright,” Daniel said, bringing me back to reality. “Any other questions?”

No one had anything else to add so he told us to be back at 0400 tomorrow morning and he’d take us to the airport. I walked out to my car, tossed the folder in the passenger seat, and drove toward my apartment. I shared it with two other people, which made it easy when I had to leave town. I’d write a check for my share of utilities and rent for the next ten weeks. I didn’t have any family, pets, or a relationship to worry about. It made it easy to pack up and disappear. I’d give them the keys to my car too so they could drive it around every once in a while. I made a mental note to remind myself to text Coop and see if he could pick me up on his way to the depot tomorrow. 

The apartment was on the second floor of a complex that sprawled down a winding street. I parked my car, grabbed the folder, and took the steps two at a time up to my apartment. My room was pretty Spartan. I didn’t have enough time to really put down roots, or the desire to do so. I could probably move out my room in an afternoon and leave no trace I’d been there. There was a full mattress on the floor on one wall, a small desk in one corner with my computer, a Marine Corps flag hung above my bed. Across from the bed there was a dresser and next to it a closet. Both were half-empty. I had a couple pairs of dress pants, white button ups, and a suit jacket, standard bodyguard-looking bullshit. I also had some jeans, cargo pants and t-shirts. Nothing really took up much room. 

I grabbed a backpack out from the top of my closet, packed the essentials and grabbed my already loaded hygiene kit out of my dresser. I tucked a paperback book, my passport and ID, and my phone charger into the front pocket. It was a little after five and I wanted to catch a little sleep since tomorrow would be a full day of travel. It would be cheaper for us to drive from LA to Mexico, and a lot faster, but the production company had paid for us to fly and had bought the tickets, arranged for other transportation. Daniel didn’t argue. Because of that, I’d be spending about twelve hours on planes and in airports. I sighed, flopping down on my bed. Before I drifted off, I remembered to text Coop but fell asleep before I got a response. I wasn’t worried about it. I knew he was good for it. 

—————

I woke up when my alarm went off at 0300. Sure enough, there was a message from Coop saying he’d be there in fifteen minutes to pick me up. I got dressed, brushed my teeth, pulled my blonde hair back in a messy ponytail, and made it to the curb with three minutes to spare. Coop pulled up a few minutes late, cigarette dangling between the fingers of the hand that lazily looped over the steering wheel. “Hop on in, little lady,” he said, southern drawl completing the image. 

I laughed, tossed my bag in his backseat, and climbed in. He had talk radio going, some review of a football game or baseball game or some bullshit that I didn’t understand. It switched a few seconds later to politics and I completely tuned out. I’d had enough of politicians telling me how to live my life. 

“You ready for this?” Coop asked, dragging another cigarette out of the dented pack with his teeth.

I shrugged. “I guess. The pay’s good and it should be pretty straight forward. Keep a couple actors out of trouble, might make enough to take my first vacation in seven years.”

“You didn’t use any of your leave when you were in?”

“Sure,” I leaned back in the seat and felt the warm California air coming in through the window. “I used every single day of it, but I never really went anywhere. The first two years, I went home, visited my folks. But after Dad died, Mom ran off and remarried and I haven’t heard from her since. I don’t have any brothers or sisters, no kids.”

“So when you took leave, what would you do?”

“Honestly, I mostly just stayed in the barracks, played video games, slept late. Once or twice I got a hotel room off base with a couple people and got shit faced. Otherwise, I just delighted in the fact that I didn’t have to go drag engines out of humvees or change truck tires.”

“Fair enough,” Coop nodded. “By the time I got out, my kids were eight and five so the last two years, I pretty much used my leave taking them to Florida or South Carolina. I took my ex to Las Vegas one year. It’s nice to get away and not have to worry about anything. You’ll have to try it sometime.”

“Alright then,” I nodded. “Tell you what. When we’re in Mexico, you can help me plan a vacation. I want to go somewhere warm, for a whole week, and do nothing but sit on a beach, watch beautiful women in bikinis, and drink something made out of pineapple or coconut.”

Coop laughed. “It’s a deal. Hell, there’s probably somewhere nearby in Mexico where you can do that.”

“Sounds like fucking paradise.”

Coop pulled up to the depot a few minutes later. Everyone else was already there, bags loaded into the back of Daniel’s big, white pedo-van that he used on “official business” as he called it. Coop and I tossed our bags in the back and then went inside. Nick was lounging on the sofa, head back and half-asleep. Sam stood next to a coffee machine, sipping out of one cup and waiting for the next one to make. It was probably her fourth or fifth of the day already. Cap and Daniel were talking at the front of the room. Daniel saw that we were here and waved in our general direction. I sat next to Nick. Coop beelined to the coffee maker. Finally, we were all seated and ready to go. 

“Morning, everyone. I’ll make it quick so we can get to the airport. Your flight leaves at 0600. Looks like there are no delays and no weather issues so far. I won’t jinx it but you know to be ready for anything. I’ve got some pesos for all of you to use during travel so you won’t have to waste time exchanging money when you change planes in Mexico City. When you get to Mexicali, you’ll be met by a woman named Amanda Walker. She’s one of the production heads down there. She’ll take you to the set, introduce you to the cast, show you around. She’ll be your main point of contact and your best way to get in touch with me.”

“What about weapons?” Cap asked. “You said this was an armed detail.”

“It is,” Daniel nodded. “There’s an on-sight security detail that you’ll be relieving. They’re not quite as well trained as we are, so they were responsible for the set, the equipment, but we’re there for the people. They’ll arm you. Pistols at all time, rifles when you’re at certain locations. Remember, there’s a lot of fear but we don’t know how much is an actual threat. Eyes and ears, people.”

We all loaded into the van. I hated flying. My palms were sweaty as we pulled into the airport. But eight hours on a commercial plane was a hell of a lot better than thirty hours to Afghanistan, part of that in the back of a C-17. 

Sure enough, it was a hell of a lot better. The flight was smooth. I slept most of the way to Mexico City, grabbed food and a shot of tequila with the rest of the crew to commemorate our entrance to the country. The flight to Mexicali was equally easy. I finished my book and left it tucked into the seat pocket when I left the plane. 

Amanda Walker was waiting for us once we got past customs. She was a tall woman, thin, with braided black hair pulled back in a long ponytail. She had a quick smile and she made us feel welcome instantly. She chatted with us easily, which wasn’t always simple for some of our employers. We could be an intimidating lot. It was something about the way we carried ourselves. 

“Welcome to Mexico,” she said, as we climbed into a white van that looked like the twin of the one Daniel had dropped us off in twelve hours earlier. “Buckle up. It’s a bumpy ride.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chance meeting throws a wrench in Kat's Mexican assignment but also makes the job easier when new information is discovered.

Chapter 2  
Amanda hadn’t been kidding. Most of the road to the set was paved, but their first two weeks of filming were out in the desert so after about an hour, we ran out of road. A sharp left took us to a dirt road, little more than a path. Thankfully, it was only twenty minutes since we were all being bounced around and combined with the heat and the dust, it gave me the uncomfortable sensation of being back in the desert. 

The set for the show was a small, makeshift town in the middle of the desert. A few small shacks had been set up, a dirt track raked down the middle. There was a cluster of trailers nearby. When we drove in, I could see the security team that we were relieving. They looked like locals and they didn’t look well-trained. I understood why they’d called us in when the cast arrived. These guys looked just as likely to shoot each other as an actual threat. Amanda must have seen the look on my face when she glanced back in the rearview mirror because she laughed. 

“Yeah, we’ve appreciated the help while we were building the set and bringing in the equipment, but we recruited most of these guys from the police force in a nearby town and they didn’t exactly give us their A-team.”

“I noticed,” I said. “Maybe we should unarm them quickly before they shoot the wrong thing.”

“That’s the plan. We have a trailer set up for all of you. I know it’s not the most comfortable set up but we figure all you’ll be doing there is sleeping. And when we get to town, you’ll actually have a house there. We have a street where we rented a couple places and you’ll get one and the cast will be divided between four others, all nearby. But, you control how you want to do things. We’ve never had to use security like this before.”

“What happened?” Cap asked, squinting out at the desert in front of us. “Why do you need us?”

“We had a situation about three months ago when several of our team were down here doing some location scouting. They were approached by someone and told that we could use the property if we paid a fairly significant amount of money. Well, since this is public land and only required approval from the local government, he was refused. Since then, we’ve been told that the man was a member of the local cartel, that we were being extorted, and that they might retaliate because we’re using the property. 

“We’ve had a couple small events. A camera was stolen, a couple members of our crew were assaulted and we don’t have any evidence that they’re related. However, with the cast coming in tomorrow morning, we want to make sure the set is safe and that they’re alright. The show is important to us but our cast is much more so.”

“What time will they be here?” Coop asked as we pulled up to the trailers. 

“Around noon. The first group comes in then, a second group at four, and then we have a straggler at midnight.”

“Who’s the straggler?” Coop asked. 

“Alycia. She’s coming in from Australia so it’s taking her a lot longer.”

I sighed. A midnight plane meant staying up all day, and probably most of the night, to meet her at the airport, and then an early morning wake up once they started filming. I silently hoped there was a lot of coffee on set. 

“Alright,” Cap said. “We’ll tour the set tonight, maybe get an idea of an itinerary, shooting schedules, that kind of thing. Tomorrow we’ll go with you to pick people up. And sorry, Kat. Looks like you get the late shift.”

“No rest for the wicked,” I sighed and climbed out of the van.

It was almost seven already so we dropped our bags just inside the trailer and followed Amanda around for a set tour. She showed us all the buildings, the trailers, the storage facilities for gear. She kept up a conversation as we walked, telling us about the show, about plans for this season, reminding us that we were covered under a gag order so we weren’t actually allowed to leak plots or spoilers for the show. She came back around to the trailers and we saw cast member names on each of the doors so we knew who our people were and where they were staying. 

“Why are there only five of us, but seven main cast members?” Nick asked.

“Two of our cast members have private security that they asked to use. Cliff and Kim, our lead actors, have bodyguards who are able to be licensed to carry firearms in Mexico. Most of the other cast has security, but they weren’t able to actually do much in Mexico. Things got complicated. We found it easier to go with your security team. We have another team of five coming in from another company. It’ll allow you all to do 24-hour security. Basically, we want you all on the days, when they’re on set, when they’re out in the city. They’ll be taking nights. You are our A-team.”

Sam smiled, nudged me in the ribs with her elbow. “Looks like you won’t get to cuddle up with your girl at night.”

I shoved her away. “Shut the fuck up,” I whispered back. 

Amanda got Cap the paperwork he needed, including filming schedules and general plans. “Just to let you know, though, it’s subject to change. Things don’t always go the way we’d planned. We generally film seven days on, two days off, though, and we do try to keep those days off. This work can get long.”

She dropped us off at our trailer. “We don’t have the catering tent set up yet, but I’ll send someone over with some food and drinks and it should be ready by lunch tomorrow.”

We all filed inside. It wasn’t bad. There were six bunks, three on each side, in the back of the trailer. Each bunk had a light, a curtain, and a small fan. The front half of the trailer was a small seating area, a TV with an Xbox, a small fridge and microwave. I dropped my backpack on a bottom bunk, one of the benefits of being the shortest one on the team meant I got dibs on the bottom bunks and didn’t have to spend half my time trying to climb down when I had to take a piss in the middle of the night. 

I was tired, my body ached from being crammed into coach for hours, and I was hungrier than a horse, but I was also curious. I looked at Sam and jerked my head toward the door. She smiled and nodded. 

“Hey Cap,” I called. He looked up. “We’re going to walk around, stretch our legs a bit. Anything you want us to look for?”

He shook his head. “We’ll probably do the same shortly. Be back here at twenty-one hundred to debrief.”

I checked my watch. I’d set it at the airport in Mexicali when we landed to make sure I was on local time, even though local time was supposed to be the same time it was in LA. We had three hours to wander around. I was hoping I’d run into food between now and then but it was still better to be outside than sitting around in the trailer. 

The set was designed like a small desert town on one side and a run-down camp on the other, assuringly so they could film a few different types of scenes at once. It was a bit crazy, being inside a fake town in the middle of the desert in Mexico. It was eerily reminiscent of a town I’d seen in Afghanistan after a battle. I’d been with a convoy that had rolled through about six hours after everything had ended. It had been all bombed out buildings, dusty streets, and quiet enough to hear your own heartbeat. The only thing missing here were the ash-black RPG blasts and bullet holes on the sides of buildings. 

Sam and I turned a corner and almost ran straight into someone. She jumped, let out a little screech, then blushed and looked down at her feet. “I’m so sorry,” she said, quickly.

Sam let out a little laugh. I grinned. “Don’t worry about it,” I said, trying to reassure her. “We weren’t watching where we were going either.” 

She visibly relaxed and when she looked up at me, I had to be careful not to let her hear my sharp intake of breath. She was beautiful, maybe late-twenties, with dark brown hair hanging in loose curls around her face. She had olive-colored skin and thick lips and I’m pretty sure I was staring like an idiot but I didn’t care. Sam brought me back to reality with a sharp elbow to the ribs. 

“I’m Sam,” she said, extending a hand, “and this idiot next to me is Kat.”

“Jacinta,” she said, shaking Sam’s hand and then mine. 

I felt her warm, smooth skin and surprised myself by being able to let go of her hand in a reasonable amount of time. 

“Do you two work here as well?” she asked, a confused look on her face. “I thought I knew most of the crew.”

“Sort of,” Sam answered. “We’re the security detail for the cast.”

“Oh yeah,” Jacinta exclaimed, nodding. “I heard you all were supposed to get here today. Not going to lie, it’s kind of surprising to see women. Most of the time it’s just some meathead wannabe cop types who sit around and drink protein shakes all day.”

“Our meatheads are back in the trailer,” I volunteered. “But I promise that I hate protein shakes and I get bored if I sit around too much.”

She smiled and I had to admit to myself that I liked it when she did that. “I’m happy to hear that. Might be better than it was last year. We had a real creep here who it turns out was preying on some of the younger girls on set, like the extras and stuff.”

“Sounds like a real piece of shit,” Sam spat.

“He was,” Jacinta nodded. “Why don’t I give you all a tour of the set? I was just getting ready to leave for the day so I don’t have anything else going on.”

“We wouldn’t want to keep you,” I said. “Honestly, we can wonder around and get into plenty of trouble on our own and I know how great it is to go home after a long day.”

“It’s no problem,” she said, and I hoped it wasn’t just my imagination that saw her eyes linger on mine for a few seconds before she looked away. “Besides, I live twenty minutes off set. It takes me no time to get home.”

Jacinta wouldn’t take no for an answer so we ended up following her while she showed us around, including the staff trailers where crew would stay when they started filming, the main production tent where meetings were held, line readings were done, and general planning took place, the storage sheds where all the equipment was held, the cast trailers where they’d stay, which happened to be very close to where we’d been set up even though we were only supposed to provide security when they were awake on set or in town. Finally, we went by the catering tent. Jacinta ducked inside and grabbed us a couple plates since they were still setting up. We grabbed a seat at the trunk of a small tree with spiky leaves and helped ourselves. 

“So Jacinta,” Sam started. “You said you lived near here. Why don’t you stay on set with the rest of the crew?”

She smiled. “I’m technically a local. My mom and little sister live in Nayarit Llamada. My dad took me to the states when I was eleven and I went to school there, finished college, got into the film industry. When I got the opportunity to work on a show that would take me close to home, I jumped on it. I live with my mom to make up lost time.”

“And no one minds?” I asked.

She shook her head. “As long as I get my work done, I can basically live wherever I want.”

“So what do you do on set?” I asked, enjoying the sound of her voice, the gentle lilt of certain words and the way they danced out of her mouth like music. 

“I’m a continuity director,” she said. 

I turned, cocked my head to the side. “A what?”

She laughed. “It’s my job to make sure the shots line up. A lot of times, one scene will have a dozen different shots from different angles. I try to make sure that nothing is different from one shot to the next so the scene flows. Have you ever watched a movie and two characters are talking at a bar or at the dinner table and the amount of liquid in a glass keeps changing?”

“Yes,” I laughed. “That’s annoying as shit.”

“It is for me too,” she said. “That’s why I make sure that everything looks the same.”

“How long have you worked here?” Sam asked. 

“I was on the show last season as one of the team. This year, I’m taking the lead.”

“And what about some of the issues on set? Have you seen or heard anything that we need to worry about or anything we should know?”

Jacinta chewed on her lower lip, thinking. “I know that the cartels are an issue in the area.”

“Cartels, plural?” I asked. 

Jacinta nodded. “There are two of them Los Leones, The Lions, led by a Caesar Cortez. He used to be a police officer, actually, until he realized that he could make more money working for the other guys. His knowledge of local laws and regulations, plus enough information about local politicians to blackmail more than a few of them, made it easy for Los Leones to expand, and quickly. They control most of the territory in the area and to be honest, other than the drugs, they aren’t as bad as they could be. Extortion, violence, it’s not really their game. 

“Caesar considers himself a businessman who just wants the freedom to sell his product. Bandidos de hierro, though, are definitely a different story. The Iron Bandits came in about two years ago. Apparently they used to operate out of another city until they got pushed out. Hector Luca is their head and he’s a cruel son of a bitch. He’s not a businessman, he’s a tyrant, and he’s causing trouble for Los Leones. I’m also willing to bet that he’s the one making trouble for us. It’s not Caesar’s style to draw more attention to himself than necessary.”

Sam and I shared a look. It was a hell of a lot more information than we’d gotten back in the States, and we needed to tell everyone else.

“Would you be willing to come back with us to meet everyone else, maybe share some of your information with them? You seem to know the area well and you’ve given us more than anyone else here?” I hoped she’d say yes, probably for more selfish reasons than just intel. 

And, thankfully, she did. We picked up our plates and lead Jacinta back to the trailer, meeting the guys as they were stepping out to start their tour of the set. 

“Hold up,” I said. “We brought a friend, and she’s got a very interesting story for us.”

Cap cocked his head to the side, nodded, and turned back around. Nick, Coop, and Jacinta followed while I held the door open for them. Sam turned to me, a sly smile curving her lips. 

“You’re going to try to hit that, aren't you?”

I smiled and walked into the trailer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone's enjoying the story. It's difficult using real people and trying to set up a little back story but Alycia will be here next chapter so it's worth it in the end.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kat meets Alycia for the first time, ready to do the job that she was assigned, and instead finds that things might be more than she ever expected.

Chapter 3

I was waiting just outside the baggage claim in Mexicali, thumbing through a paperback I’d picked up in a shop in the airport a few hours earlier. The flight should have gotten in three hours ago but several delays along the way meant that it was two am and I was still waiting. Amanda had gone further into the airport to wait for Alycia as soon as she stepped through security. I hadn’t been allowed any further in now that I had a pistol strapped to my hip. Even now, local security looked at me sideways as they patrolled. I looked up at the digital screen on one wall. Several flights had been delayed out of LA because of storms in Texas that disrupted connecting flights. It made me glad I wasn’t an air traffic controller. Just thinking about the logistics of it all made my head hurt. 

The screen had finally changed and the flight, number 4709, said “ARRIVED” in green letters next to it. Well, it said that in Spanish. I sighed, closed the book, and shoved it in my back pocket. I might as well look a little professional. I was wearing khaki pants and a black T-shirt, which had been a smart move since it was so hot and humid that, had I worn gray, it would have looked like I’d been showering in my clothes. I’d pulled my hair back in a ponytail, which was pretty standard since I liked my hair long, but also easy and out of the way. So I was limited in how professional I could look. 

The night before, Jacinta had stayed with us for almost two hours, answering questions about Los Leones and Bandidos de hierro. Then, after she’d left, we’d stayed up until after midnight mulling over the information. I’d gotten up at six with Nick to start the day of back and forth trips to the airport. Since I was last, this was my fifth trip and this time I was solo. I was tired, my back and head ached from bumpy trips in the jeep, but at least I found out that they wouldn’t be filming for another two days and I wouldn’t be on duty until Alycia woke up the next morning. I hoped that she wouldn’t disappoint Hollywood stereotypes and that I wouldn’t see sunlight until sometime after noon. 

When I turned and saw her, though, I thought that she might disappoint stereotypes. She was wearing jeans, light, with a rip at one knee, and a baggy white shirt. Her hair was down, her makeup understated but able to accentuate already amazing features like thick, curved lips and high cheekbones. She carried a black bag swung over one shoulder and was pulling a rolling suitcase behind her. Amanda walked next to her, talking a mile a minute, which seemed to be her thing. But at least she was interesting, so I didn’t mind. Alycia didn’t seem to either, but she definitely looked tired, and happy to be on the ground. 

I walked forward to meet them and Amanda paused long enough in her monolog to introduce us. 

“Alycia, this is Katherine Sands, your security detail for filming, at least during the day. I’m assuming Carl went over everything with you.”

I didn’t know who Carl was, but Alycia nodded in agreement. She extended a hand and I took it, feeling soft, warm skin against mine. I couldn’t help it. I was a sucker for a beautiful woman. 

“Call me Kat, please. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too,” she said, her voice lilting softly, sleepily, over her tongue. “I’m sorry if I’m not very talkative tonight. It’s been a long twenty-four hours.”

“I can imagine,” I nodded. “Let me help you with your bags and we can get back to the set so you can sleep.”

Her eyes widened, a little smile bowing her lips, and handed me her bag and suitcase. Amanda started talking again and I followed them to the van. I loaded the bags into the back and then climbed into the driver’s seat. After five trips back and forth, and I’d insisted driving them all because I don’t ever really get to drive in LA, I felt like I could make the drive with my eyes closed. Which was a distinct possibility given how sleepy I was. But I shook my head, grabbed a drink of water from the bottle in the cupholder, and started down the road. 

By the time we got to Alycia’s trailer, she was fast asleep. Amanda shook her awake with a gentle hand on her knee and she smiled at me shyly when she woke up and caught me watching her in the rearview mirror. I smiled back. 

“I’m just impressed that you could sleep through all those bumps.”

“I’m an actor. I can sleep anywhere.”

“I know the feeling.”

I climbed out of the van, opened the door for her and Amanda, and then grabbed the bags out of the back. Alycia’s trailer was nicer than ours, with a sitting area, a larger TV, and a full sized bed, but a trailer was a trailer and when you were as tired as we were, it also didn’t matter if it was nice or not. She gestured towards the sofa with one hand. 

“You can just put everything down there. I’m not even going to worry about unpacking until I’m awake enough to remember where I put things.”

“That sounds like a plan. I’m heading to bed myself. There’s a local security team here at night but if you need anything,” I slid a card with my number onto the kitchen counter, “I have a local cell phone so call or text. I’m also in the trailer just three doors down so you can always come get me or send someone to find me.”

“Thank you,” she said, giving me another curious look that I couldn’t decode. “I appreciate it.”

I said goodnight and backed out of the trailer. Amanda stayed behind and I moved the van, parking it at the end of a row of three others like it, then walked the few hundred meters back to my trailer. When I walked in, I didn’t climb into bed so much as fall, face-first, asleep before my head even hit the pillow. 

My phone rang sometime when the sun was up and I grabbed for it, missing the first time. I prided myself on waking up easily, and quickly, but it had still been a long night and I felt a little groggy. I understood why when I saw that it was only 9:30 and I’d gotten a little less than six hours of sleep. I answered. 

“Hey, it’s Alycia,” the voice came through my phone. “Sorry it’s so early. Jet lag. I know I need more sleep but I’m wide awake. Want to come by and maybe we can go get breakfast?”

“Sure, give me five minutes to get ready.”

I pushed myself off the bed with a groan, careful not to hit my head on the bunk above me. I changed clothes, brushed my hair and teeth and washed my face in the small bathroom sink. I slid my pistol into the holster at my belt after checking to make sure that a round was chambered. It always was, but I still liked to make sure. I was in front of Alycia’s door thirty seconds later, knocking softly. 

She opened the door and stepped out, smiling, wearing tan slacks and a black t-shirt, and I was glad I’d remembered to wear sunglasses because it gave me an extra few moments to look at her without seeming creepy or getting caught. 

“I’m so sorry,” she apologized. “You must be exhausted but I woke up about an hour ago and couldn’t get back to sleep and I’m starving. I’d have gone myself but I had pretty specific instructions not to go anywhere without you.”

I shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. Really. I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”

“Yeah, but if you don’t get some sleep now then that’ll happen sooner rather than later.”

“Good point,” I grinned. “But one night isn’t going to make a difference. I’m sure I’ll get to catch up sometime.”

We walked together to the catering tent. It had been finished the day before. It held several long tables with white folding chairs on either side. There was a buffet set up at the front with hot food and on the side there was a long table with snacks, drinks, fresh fruit and vegetables. I went over and grabbed a banana and a couple Kiwis. Alycia stuck to the hot food and I was a little surprised when she joined me at my table. It was rare that the talent wanted to have anything to do with the bodyguard. Normally, we were just well-armed furniture. I got the sense that Alycia was different. 

“So tell me about yourself,” she said as soon as she sat down. 

“What do you want to know?”

“Everything.”

“Why?”

“Suspicious much?”

I smiled. She was right. I was suspicious. And I told her as much. “Normally, when I’m working, people don’t care to learn too much about me. I’m just here to be useful, you know. It’s strange for someone to want to get to know me.”

“You and I are going to be together for the next four months, at the very least. And besides, I like to get to know the people who are risking their lives for me. It’s an idea I can’t quite get used to.” 

“That someone would risk their life for you?” 

“Why do you do it?” she asked, her green eyes suddenly intense, burning into mine. 

I swallowed. “Why do I do what?”

She tilted her head but didn’t speak. I swallowed again. 

“My boss was my platoon sergeant when I deployed to Afghanistan in 2011. I was in the Marine Corps for five years before I got out. He offered me a job. I’m good under pressure and I know how to focus, work hard, and get the job done. They were all traits he was looking for. But, I admit, normally I’m just holding back screaming teenagers or annoying paparazzi. This is one of the first times that I’ve actually been in what could turn into a dangerous situation.”

“So you are risking your life in the desert in Mexico because your former platoon sergeant asked you to.”

“It’s a job. Plenty of people do jobs every day that risk their lives.”

Alycia nodded. “I agree. And I’m not meaning to pry. I really am curious. I like learning about people, who they are, what makes them tick. I guess it’s the actor in me. I have to delve into the deepest, darkest corners of people’s lives.”

“What happens if you don’t like what you find there?” I looked up from my breakfast and this time it was Alycia that looked away first. 

The silence was tense, not awkward, but full of unspoken words, unasked questions. I was happy for the interruption when I heard someone nearby speak. 

“Alycia, oh my God, I’m so happy to see you.”

I looked up and saw a blonde woman walking towards the table with a smile on her face, a plate of food in one hand and a mug of coffee in the other. 

“Kim,” Alycia cried, rising from the table and greeting the other woman with a hug. “I got in so late last night I didn’t want to wake anyone up.”

“Well, the gang’s all here. Colman and Mercedes were on my flight and Cliff and Frank got here earlier. I think Lorenzo was the first one here yesterday morning. What took you so long?”

“I was visiting family and I couldn’t get an early flight out of Australia and then I had a ridiculous layover in Los Angeles so it took forever.”

“Well I’m glad to have you here. The gang back together. I miss you guys when we’re not filming.”

“Aww, well thanks, Mom.”

Kim grinned. “I know, I’m the sentimental one.”

They both sat down at the table and I busied myself with my food, pretty sure that I’d be in the background now and more than happy about it given the direction our previous conversation had been going. Instead, Alycia turned to me. 

“Kim, this is Kat. She’s one of the new security detail. Kat, this is Kim, my on-screen, and partially off-screen, mother.”

“Right,” she extended her hand and I shook it. “I heard about the incidents on the set. I’m so glad they were able to hire you all. I got lucky and Danny was able to get licensed in Mexico so he came down here with me, but I was worried about everyone else.”

“Well, we’ll definitely take care of all of you, and help out Danny and Cliff’s security guard in any way that we can.” 

“Scott,” Kim said between bites of oatmeal. “That’s Cliff’s bodyguard. The last time I saw them they were talking to one of your guys. Rap?”

I smiled. “Cap. His real name’s Richard but he’s the only one of us that was an officer, a captain, in the Army. We can’t let him live it down so it’s kind of a running joke. We don’t actually have rank. Coop, the big guy with the shaved head, he’s our unofficial leader because he’s done the job the longest. But we all have similar backgrounds, different strengths, so we work well together.”

“That’s good to hear,” Kim nodded. “I don’t know if Alycia told you yet or not but our experience last year wasn’t as good. Our security wasn’t armed but two of them got into a fist fight at a hotel in Mexicali, another one trashed a hotel room, and half the time we couldn’t even find them. They were asleep or drunk or hungover. We think one spent most of his time snorting cocaine.”

“Wow,” I wasn’t necessarily surprised. She’d just described about half the security companies in Los Angeles. Well, who was I kidding, about two-thirds. “We might not be the most mature individuals, and occasionally we have pretty inappropriate senses of humor, but we’re professionals. And we’ll do whatever we can to keep everyone safe.”

Kim nodded. “As long as you take care of my girl here, you’re alright in my book.”

“You have my word.”

Kim smiled, patted Alycia’s hand, and we finished our meal in companionable silence. Kim was the first to finish. Alycia was moving slowly through her meal, seemingly lost in her own thoughts. 

“Alright,” she said, standing up. “They want to take us through some scenes today, just set up, pacing, all that good stuff. We’re supposed to meet by the production trailer in about fifteen minutes.”

“Guess I’d better hurry up and eat,” Alycia smiled, finished her last few bites, and the women walked to toss their plates and I followed behind, tossing my scraps. They led the way to the production trailer. A few hundred yards away, we met up with Danny, Kim’s bodyguard. He was a large man, with skin that looked like smooth dark chocolate and a voice to match, deep and mellow. He had a broad chest, a square jaw, and if I’d been straight I’d have taken him home with me in a heartbeat. As it was, I took a couple seconds to appreciate the view. Though, moments later, my eyes were occupied with a much more favorable view. 

Jacinta was standing near the production trailer, leafing through a large notebook. She saw me out of the corner of her eyes, turned, smiled, and waved. I waved back. I noticed that Alycia had stopped and was watching me out of the corner of her eye. I turned toward her. 

“What?”

“Nothing,” she smiled, a sly curve of her lips that made my stomach do an interesting twist. 

I swallowed hard and watched as Alycia walked into the production tent. I stood outside and Jacinta walked over to me. 

“How’s the first day on babysitting duty going?” she asked. 

“Everything seems to be going well so far. I haven’t lost her yet.”

“That’s good. Are you going to sit in on the meeting?”

“Oh, God no,” I shook my head. “That sounds incredibly boring. I’ll probably hang out around the trailer, find somewhere to park and read my book.”

“Well, maybe when we’re done, I can come find you and we can chat. That might be a little entertaining.”

She smiled at me and it was unmistakable. She was interested. I could feel it in my stomach. But for some reason, it didn’t have the same impact that it might have, that it should have. I wondered for a second at it but pushed it aside. I could deal with all those deep philosophical questions when I wasn’t trying to flirt. 

I smiled back. “Sounds like a great idea.”

Jacinta turned and walked away and I looked away before she entered the trailer which was also a little odd on my part. Coop and Sam were sitting on the steps of a nearby trailer and I went to join them. Sam looked up at my and winked. 

“I saw that.”

“Saw what?”

“Jacinta. She’s into you.”

“Yeah,” I nodded. “I noticed.”

“You don’t seem that interested,” Coop said. 

And honestly, he was right. I wasn’t that interested. I shook my head. What the hell was wrong with me? I grabbed a seat on the bottom step and leaned my back against Sam’s shins. 

“You know,” I sighed, “I thought I was interested but I was wrong.”

“Oh, you’re interested,” Sam said. “Just not in her.”

I didn’t even have to look back to know the expression on Sam’s face. But the worst part. She was right.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kat and Alycia enjoy their newly found friendship and a change in scenery until complications threaten to destroy everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for a much longer chapter than the other three. I had a lot of moving forward with the plot I wanted to do in this one. I'll try not to make any of the others this long.

Chapter 4  
The first two weeks on set were boring. There was no other way to put it. I ran through almost a dozen books, most of them borrowed from the rest of the crew. Kim let me borrow a copy of “The Swan Thieves” by Elizabeth Kostova and Frank forced me to read “Fight Club” by Chuck Palahniuk and he was so excited to give it to me that I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I’d read it twice when I was deployed to Afghanistan. I devoured it again though, and returned it to him with great thanks and praise. 

I’d gotten to know the rest of the cast and the other two security guards, Danny and Scott. Danny had been in the armed forces in the UK, a pilot, actually, but he’d had an eye injury playing basketball that had ended his flying career. He’d gotten into contract work in the US and then, after he retired from that, he’d gone into private security. He was in his 50’s, but I was also pretty sure he could give all of us a run for our money. Scott had never served in the military. He’d been in security his whole life, starting at a state mental hospital at the beginning of his career and working his way up. He said his best gig had been working for Steven Tyler on an Aerosmith tour about eight years ago. 

I’d also gotten to know Alycia better. We barely got the chance to talk, but we ate breakfast together every morning, a habit that had definitely been noticed by the rest of my team who made sure to rib me for it as often as possible. She was funny, intelligent, witty. We were fast friends and I won’t lie. I wanted more. Until she mentioned a boyfriend back in Australia. I was disappointed, but I also wasn’t going to try to break up the relationship of a woman who seemed to be straight. At least, she hadn’t given me any information to suggest otherwise.

Finally, the end of desert shooting came. It was the last day on set and I was sitting across from Alycia. She looked as tired as I felt, barely able to keep her eyes open as she tried to eat a bowl of oatmeal. I picked at my eggs. We’d been up all night and still had a half day of filming before driving two hours to a small town south of where we were getting three days off to relax and rest before they started filming again. 

When we started, I had little appreciation for the work that actors did. Now, I didn’t know how they did it. Alycia regularly worked sixteen or eighteen hour days, repeating the same scene, the same stunt, the same five second clip, over and over until it was just right. Alycia, Mercedes, and Kim were the only three actors left on set. Cliff, Frank, Colman, and Lorenzo had left earlier that morning after the night shoot had finished so Cap, Nick, and Sam had gone with them. Coop was sitting by a trailer outside the catering tent, his chin on his chest, fast asleep. Danny was leaning against the coffee table, sipping his third cup. He'd chugged the first two. 

“You alright?” I asked, pulling Alycia out of her head. She got stuck there sometimes. 

She smiled sleepily. “I’ll survive,” she said, turning my own, oft-spoken phrase around on me. 

I grinned. “At this point, I’m not sure that I will.”

“Just a few more hours,” Alycia sighed. “And then we’re free. Well, I’m free. You still have to work.”

I shrugged. “I like my job.”

“I bet you do,” she said. 

I looked up and Alycia was looking at me with sharp green eyes. Occasionally, I felt like she could see right through me. 

“So, what happened with Jacinta?”

Of course, she timed this question right as I was taking a drink of coffee and I almost shot it out my nose. 

“Shit,” I swore. “That was hot. And unpleasant.”

Alycia just laughed at me as I wiped hot coffee off my face. I collected myself, sniffed a few times, then turned my attention back to the conversation.

“What do you mean?”

“You two were spending a lot of time together for a while and then suddenly, nothing. It was like she’d try to find the furthest corner whenever you walked by. Trouble in paradise?”

“Something like that. She kept calling me a babysitter. At some point, I told her it bothered me and she basically said that it shouldn’t because that’s what I was, just watching a bunch of spoiled rich kids. So, you know, I had to defend your honor.”

“Oh, well that was nice of you.”

I shrugged. “Someone had to. I know how you spoiled rich kids get when someone’s mean to you.”

I dodged a piece of toast as Alycia threw it at me.

“Next time I’m going to throw my spoon at you.”

“You should,” I agreed. “Your aim is terrible. That might help.”

Alycia grinned. “But really, it was nice of you. I feel bad, though. You kind of ended a relationship because of me.”

I waved her off. “It definitely wasn’t a relationship. We talked. I tried to flirt, but I’m not very good at it. She asked me to come stay with her when we had some time off but she also kind of insulted my job.”

“A lot of people think you’re just a babysitter. I get it. We make a lot more money than we probably should. It makes people mad and upset and I don’t think it’s unreasonable."

“Yeah, but how much work have you put into this career that was unpaid? How many hours have you spent memorizing lines, completing press tours? How many sleepless nights like this one and weeks of travel and skipping time zones and fighting jet lag? You work your ass off. I’ve seen it.

“When I got back from my first deployment, I remember all these people telling me that they thought I should be making the big bucks instead of football players or actors, like it was some fucking competition to see who could be the most patriotic. Would I have liked a bigger salary? Sure. But I also knew how much I was making when I signed on the dotted line. No one forced me. You’ve worked your entire life with no dotted line, no guarantee that you’d be able to make a living from this. But you did it. You deserve it. And anyway, it’s not like cutting your paycheck would automatically put money in some private’s bank account.”

Alycia just stared at me. I took a deep breath. 

“Sorry,” I said. “I kind of jumped up on my soapbox there.”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just,” she paused. “I think that’s more words than I’ve ever heard you say before.”

I laughed. “Well that’s probably why. When I talk, it turns out like that.”

Alycia smiled and we finished our breakfast. I went over to wake up Coop and together we all walked to the set. 

Thankfully, filming went quickly. Everyone was tired so they were making sure to hit their marks, get their lines right, and we were done by eleven. I was already packed up and ready to go. Alycia must have been too because she met me outside the van just a few seconds after I got there. Mercedes and Kim came with Coop and Danny a few minutes later. I was driving since, out of everyone, somehow I was the most awake. Danny rode shotgun and Coop sat in the back row of the van, just in case. 

We hadn’t had any issues on set. I still hoped that the issues before had been over exaggerated and we wouldn’t have any problems, but we were also going to be filming in a town now instead of the desert. It meant that people who weren’t supposed to be there could blend in more easily and while we could close down small areas for filming, it meant that our actors would be interacting with locals on a daily basis, and some of those locals could have ulterior motives. 

The drive was uneventful. Once we got back to the main road, it was an easy trip on pavement the rest of the way. We got there around one-thirty and I parked in front of the hotel, a small, two story building. Nick was outside, smoking a cigarette. He waved when we pulled up and helped us unload the van. 

“Rooms are split between the first and second floor, which isn’t ideal, but we had no other option. Only hotel in town, ya know.” He pulled keys out of his pocket. “Kim, 104; Danny, 105; Mercedes, 118; Coop, 120; Alycia, 216; Kat, 215.”

He handed me to real, metal keys with the room number stamped into the end. I stared at them for a minute. I was used to cards with magnetic strips and advertisements to local restaurants. In fact, I couldn’t remember a time, even from my childhood, where there had been real keys at a hotel. But, here we were. I grabbed my bag, helped Alycia with hers. She’d tried to stay up the whole van ride and keep me company but she’d fallen asleep somewhere along the way and she looked exhausted now. Without a word, I turned and led her into the hotel, afraid she’d fall asleep on the sidewalk if we waited too long. 

We took the steps up, turned left, and walked down a long hallway. We were the last two rooms, hers on one side oft he hallway and mine on the other. I opened her door, put her bag down next to the wardrobe, and steered her toward the bed with one hand. She gladly followed and sat down with a heavy thump onto the mattress. 

“You need sleep,” I said as she kicked off her shoes. 

“So do you,” she mumbled. 

I nodded but realized that her eyes were half closed and she probably couldn’t see me. “I plan on it. I’ll be right across the hallway so just knock when you’re ready to get dinner.”

I closed the door behind me, walked across the hallways and opened the door to my room. It was small but clean with a twin bed, a small desk in one corner, a short dresser with a mirror above it on the wall, and a small bathroom with a bed, a shower, and a sink. I didn’t have the energy to do much but I needed a shower after being up all night and on set during the heat of the day. I quickly unpacked, showered, and then barely had the energy to pull on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts and fall into bed. 

There was a quiet knock on my bed a few hours later. I wasn’t sure how much time had passed but the sun filtering in through my window looked weaker, so I knew time had passed. I climbed out of bed and opened the door carefully, not having the benefit of a peephole. Alycia was standing in the hallway, hair messy, feet bare. She still looked half asleep. I opened the door the rest of the way. 

“Hey, what’s up?”

“I’m exhausted but I’m also starving. Want to go get something to eat?”

“Yeah, sure,” I said, feeling my stomach rumble at the thought of food. “Give me a few minutes to get ready and we’ll go find something.”

“Ok, just knock on my door when you’re ready. I have to go figure out how to deal with this mess.”

She ran a hand through her hair and rolled her eyes. I laughed, shut the door as she left, then hurried to get ready. The promise of food made me realize how hungry I was so it didn’t take long for me to wash my face, brush my teeth, and get dressed. I knocked on her door about fifteen minutes later. 

“It’s unlocked,” I heard from inside. 

I turned the knob and opened the door. Alycia’s room was larger, with a queen bed, a wardrobe and a dresser, a bigger bathroom. Alycia was leaning over the dresser, staring in the mirror, a flat iron in one hand and a hairbrush in the other. She looked frustrated. “All this hair and makeup on set and my hair won’t cooperate when I want it to do something.”

“Yeah,” I laughed and sat down on the corner of the bed. “I have no insight into that. My hair was short when I was deployed because it was easier and now the most complicated I get is a braid on occasion. But good luck.”

“I’m partially jealous,” Alycia said, running the brush through her hair and putting it down with a sigh. “But I also really like doing my hair.”

“Well, you always look really good.”

I couldn’t stop myself. I wanted to reach out and grab the words, shove them back in my mouth and down my throat, but they’d already escaped. Alycia was watching me through the mirror and I had the feeling that I looked like a deer in headlights. But she didn’t say anything. Instead, she turned, shrugged, and grabbed her purse. 

“I think this is as good as it’s going to get.”

“Then let’s go find something to eat.”

We walked out of the hotel together. I was still kicking myself for what I’d said before. Cliff, Frank, Cap, and Scott were standing outside the hotel. Frank was leaning against the side of the building, a cigarette dangling from his fingers. 

“Look at these two lovely ladies. Out for a night on the town?”

Alycia smiled at him. “You look much more well-rested than I feel.”

“The benefits of a less demanding shooting schedule. Don’t worry, I’m sure you can rub it in in a few weeks. I have two weeks of night shoots to look forward to.”

Cap walked over and nudged me with his shoulder. “Everything going alright?” he asked. 

I nodded. “Any issues for you guys?”

“None, but apparently some Iron Bandits have been spotted near town. One of the camera guys tipped us off yesterday and Jacinta came by then we got here this morning to tell us the same thing. She was looking for you, by the way.”

I rolled my eyes. “Fan-fucking-tastic,” I groaned. 

“Trouble in paradise?”

“You’re the second person today to ask that question,” I said, side-eyeing Alycia who had moved close enough to hear the conversation and was now trying hard not to laugh.

“So?”

“There’s nothing to tell,” I said. “Jacinta and I were never an item and I may spend the next three and a half months jumping behind things when she comes over. Now, I’m starving so we’re going to eat.”

I leaned closer to Cap before we walked away. “I’ll be careful and keep my eyes open. Thanks for the heads up.”

We walked down the road, several blocks over, and found a small restaurant on the first floor of an old house.

“How’s your Spanish?” Alycia asked as we pushed open the door. 

“Tequila and Cerveza is about as complicated as I get. If we ever go to Afghanistan though, I’m your girl.”

“You speak Arabic?”

I turned and smiled at her. “I’m full of surprises.”

A young woman approached us while we stood at the door. “Buenas noches.”

“Buenas noches,” Alycia answered, smiling. “Una mesa para dos, por favor.”

The waitress led us to a small table in the far corner of the room. Before I sat down, I scanned the restaurant. There were a dozen other tables, most occupied by families or couples. There was a small bar in one wall, empty at this point. We were near the kitchen door and I hoped a back door through that since we were further away from the front one than I would have liked. I sat with my back towards the wall so I could see the room.

“I don’t know you spoke Spanish.”

“I don’t, really. I know a few phrases. Just enough to get me in trouble.”

I scanned the menu, recognizing a few things. I looked up as the door opened and a young man walked in, dressed in tan pants and a blue button-up shirt. He was greeted by the same waitress and she walked him to a seat at the end of the bar. I looked back at my menu. 

The waitress came by a few minutes later and we ordered. Alycia put her elbows on the table, clasped her hands, and looked at me. 

“What?” I asked, suddenly nervous. 

“It’s the first real chance we’ve gotten to talk in two weeks.”

“We talked every morning at breakfast,” I countered. 

“Small talk doesn’t count.”

“We had some long breakfasts. Doesn’t that make it big talk?”

“Are you trying to avoid deep conversations with me?”

“Maybe.”

“Why?”

I took a deep breath. “You’re intimidating,” I finally said. 

Alycia blinked. That obviously hadn’t been the answer she was expecting. “Intimidating.”

“Yeah,” I nodded. “I don’t know how to explain it, but you are. Did you know that you’re younger than me?”

“How do you know that?”

“I got a bio sheet on you the first day I found out I was going to be on your security detail. You’re two years younger than I am. But I feel like you know so much more about the world. You’re more comfortable in your skin. You’re funny, intelligent, successful. It’s intimidating. I’m afraid the more you talk to me, the faster I’ll run out of things to say. I can only get by on inappropriate humor and quick wit for so long, after all.”

Alycia was quiet for a few moments. It made a cold, nervous sweat break out on the back of my neck. “I think you’re intimidating."

“Now you’re just making fun of me.”

“I’m not,” she objected, shaking her head. “I promise, I’m not. Do you remember the first conversation we had? At breakfast, the day after we met?”

“Yeah.”

Of course I did. I remembered every conversation we’d had

“At first I was intrigued. You’re interesting. The experiences that you’ve had. You were in the military, you’ve been to dangerous countries and in difficult circumstances. But you intimidate me because you’ve overcome them. More than that, you’ve persevered and excelled in situations that I think a lot of people would fall apart in.”

“How do you know I didn’t fall apart?”

“See,” she gestured with one hand in my direction, “then you make comments like that and I’m even more intrigued.”

“You want to know my story.”

“You got a bio sheet on me. I feel like I don’t know much about you.”

“Fair enough. Where should I start?”

“Why did you join the Marines?”

I was interrupted by our waitress bringing our drinks, a soft drink for me, red wine for Alycia. She set them down in front of us and I did another quick scan of the room. One family had left a table in the middle of the room. There was a couple standing at the door waiting for it to be cleared. The man was still at the bar and had been joined by a second. They were both drinking beer out of bottles. 

“I joined because I didn’t feel like I had another option, honestly. I did alright in high school but not enough to get a scholarship. I had an older brother who had joined the Navy and got a full scholarship to college. I had a dad who was an alcoholic and wasn’t around much and a mom who worked two jobs and also wasn’t around much. But at least she tried. I knew no one could help with college and I wasn’t sure I wanted to go anyway, but there also weren’t a lot of employment opportunities in my area. I’m from a small town in Indiana. No manufacturing, no big companies. I could have worked at McDonald’s, but I wanted something more. I enlisted a week after I graduated.”

“And then what?” Alycia prodded me forward in my story. 

“Then a pretty standard track. I went to boot camp. They sent me to school to learn how to become a mechanic. I deployed about eight months later to Afghanistan for fourteen months, back home for twelve, then back to Afghanistan for twelve. At the end of my enlistment, I volunteered to go to Kuwait for six months.”

“And what did you do there?”

“In Kuwait or Afghanistan?’

“Both.”

“In both places, I was a mechanic. I mostly worked on trucks, humvees, that kind of thing. Occasionally I’d go out with patrols, just in case something broke down. Especially the longer trips. Or sometimes I’d get pulled into a convoy if they were short. But really, it was pretty boring. In Kuwait, I basically did the same thing, but I was stationed at a base hospital, so I did a lot of work on ambulances and helped out a little with some of the helicopters."

“And the job you have now?”

“My boss, Daniel, was my platoon sergeant in Afghanistan during my first deployment. He really helped me out. So when I got out, he called me up and I didn’t hesitate.”

“The first time we spoke, you said that if I kept asking questions, I might not like what I found. What did you mean?”

“Still asking questions, I see.”

Alycia smiled, but it was genuine. She really did want to know about me. She was curious. And something else behind that that made those intense green eyes bore holes in my very soul. I had to look away. And when I did, I saw something that made my stomach drop. The man in the blue shirt from earlier had been watching us. 

He looked away quickly when my head turned but I saw the movement out of the corner of my eye. By this time, our food had come and we’d been picking at it during our conversation. I noticed that both beers were still sitting in front of the men. Neither of them were drinking. I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up and my instincts kicked in. I turned to Alycia, smiling, and tried to keep my cool so she wouldn’t worry.

“How’s the food?”

“Trying to change the subject?”

“Maybe,” I said, fishing my phone out of my pocket. “Hang on just a second. Got a text from Coop.”

I hadn’t. But I was about to text him. “Being followed,” it said. “At the corner of Del Capulin and La Mora. Going to leave and head South on Del Capulin. Don’t want to lead them to the hotel. Prepare to intercept.”

I sent a second text, this one to Alycia. “You need to go to the restroom. Act normal. I’ll meet you there and explain everything.”

I put away my phone as Alycia’s vibrated across the table. She reached, opened the message, and I was thankful that she was an actress. Her eyes widened slightly. She wiped her mouth with her napkin, placed it on the table. 

“I’ll be right back,” she muttered. 

“Are you alright?” I asked, trying to give myself an opening to follow her as she ducked to the restroom in the back of the restaurant. 

Alycia played the part well. She waved me off, covered her eyes like she was trying not to cry, and ducked through the door. The waitress looked at where she had gone, concerned. 

“No pasa nada,” I said, standing up to follow Alycia. 

The waitress looked relieved that I was going after her, I guess relieving her of the duty of checking on her. I opened the door and Alycia was leaning against the sink inside. 

“What’s going on?” she hissed as I pulled the door shut behind me. 

“We’re being followed. The man in the blue shirt at the bar and his friend. They came in shortly after we did and they’ve been watching you. We need to get out of here. There’s probably a back door through the kitchen but the only way to get to the kitchen is through the dining room. I sent a text to Coop to intercept us just down the road. It shouldn’t take them more than five or ten minutes to get there because they’ll be coming in hot. But I need to keep you safe until then.”

Alycia nodded. “What do I do?”

“I’m going to go out, pay our bill. You stay in here. I’ll come back and get you when I’m ready. I want you to look upset when you leave, though. I’ll keep close to you, act like I’m consoling you. Can you run in those shoes?”

“I’m a woman in Hollywood. I can walk a tightrope in six inch heels.”

“Fair enough. When I tell you to run, you run. Don’t look back.”

“What about you?”

“You’re my priority. Don’t worry about me.”

Alycia paused for a minute but she didn’t say anything. She swallowed hard. Nodded. I went back out to the dining room and in a very stilted mix of English and Spanish, tried to explain that she was fine but had gotten some bad news so we needed to pay our bill and leave. But yes, the food was excellent. And thank you for your concern. I don’t think it came out very well though. I paid, then ducked back into the bathroom for Alycia. 

She had done well. Her face was red and streaked with tears. I couldn’t tell if they were real or were water from the sink but I’d seen her acting so I was willing to bet that they were real. I walked over to her, put an arm around her waist, and steered her out of the bathroom and through the dining room as quickly as possible. We drew a few stares but made it out into the street with no one stopping us. I turned Alycia left, South down Del Capulin just like I’d told Coop. It had been five minutes since I sent the text. I just hoped they were heading our way. 

We walked quickly. Once I had to stop Alycia from turning to look back over her shoulder. I’d heard the restaurant door open and shut about thirty seconds after we’d left. They were behind us. There was no doubt about that. Even now, I could hear their footsteps, muffled by distance, but still behind us. We spend up slightly, trying not to run, but the already small crowd on the street was starting to disperse and I knew we’d be alone soon. I heard the footsteps behind us speed up as well. 

“When I tell you to run, go. Keep going until you meet the others and tell them I’m back here.”

“But,” 

“Just fucking listen to me,” I hissed. 

She swallowed hard, nodded, her jaw clenched. I could see her cheek muscles moving beneath her skin. 

We walked another block, our steps never changing. But theirs got quicker. I used a nearby window to check the reflection. They were only about twenty feet behind. Too close for comfort. With a shove, I pushed Alycia in front of me, spun, and dropped back to stop the two men behind us. 

“Run,” I yelled over my shoulder. 

Thankfully, Alycia listened without hesitation. 

The two men stopped, both looking over my shoulder to watch Alycia running off. 

“We’ll hunt her down,” the one in the blue shirt said. “You wasted your life for nothing. We don’t need anything from you.”

“And what do you need from her?”

He shrugged. The one next to him in the white shirt barked something in Spanish but he didn’t respond. 

“It looks like we’ll have to take care of you first.”

I stepped back, falling quickly into a fighting stance. “You’re welcome to try.”

With a yell, they both flung themselves at me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all are enjoying the story. The romance is there and I promise, it'll be worth the wait.   
> I leave in a week for vacation so I'm going to try to get up another two chapters before then and then there will be a bit of a break but don't worry. I don't leave work unfinished.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the painful aftermath of an attack on Alycia, Kat reveals a lot about herself, her past, and her motivation.

Chapter 5

Present:

 

The room was dark. It was closing in on me. The sheet covering me was like a rope, like a noose, gripping, tying tighter around me, trying to squeeze the very breath out of my lungs. I threw it off me. And then the pain hit. A gut-wrenching, shocking pain in my hip on my right side, the pulling of stitches. I gasped into the darkness. My shoulder hurt too, a searing, tearing pain. But the pain brought be back. It pulled me out of the darkness and back into the hotel room. 

Nearby, a light flickered on. Alycia’s face illuminated by the glow of the lamp looked almost angelic, but also concerned. She frowned at me, walked closer, reached out a hand and her warm skin touched mine and all I felt was fire. 

12 Hours Earlier:

 

The man in blue reached me first. He tried to grab me around the waist but I stepped out of the way, using his momentum and striking him hard in the back with an elbow. He stumbled, tripped, fell into the street. The man in white was smarter, more ruthless. He circled me, waiting for an opening. He struck with his left hand, a punch that I deflected, tried to grab, but he was too quick. 

The second punch hit, barely. It grazed my jaw and I knew I was lucky that I’d moved out of the way in time. He was strong. I danced away, trying to get a better angle where I could see both of them. I just hoped that Alycia was further down the road and out of harm’s way. The man in white struck again, a fist, a knee, an elbow. I blocked all but the elbow which hit my bicep, hard. It made my arm feel numb. I shook it off, threw a punch of my own. It hit his chin, made him shake his head like a dog that had gotten something in its eyes. I got cocky, overcommitted with a roundhouse. He grabbed my arm, a knee to the gut, doubling me over and taking my breath away. He wrenched my arm behind me as he tried to gain control over the fight. I resisted and felt my shoulder burn.

It felt like it was going to tear out of the socket, but I continued to resist until i was finally able to grab his hand, manipulate his wrist. I bent his elbow, his shoulder, kicked the back of his kneecaps to take his legs out from under him. He fell, hard and with a grunt. I hit him with the back of my fist, right in the temple. He dropped, stunned but not unconscious. 

Thankfully, I turned in time to see the knife, but not in time to get completely clear of it. It bit into my hip, deep, but not enough to keep me from moving. Not deep enough that I’d bleed out in the street. I’d seen wounds like that before. This wasn’t one of them. I twisted out of the way. The thing about the man in blue was that he was young. He liked to make big, sweeping movements and dives that were easily telegraphed. So, after the third time I blocked his punch, he gave up and tackled me, driving both of us into to the brick wall behind us. 

I gritted my teeth as my head hit the brick. It was painful, but it hadn’t done any real damage. I struck wherever I could. Behind his ear, at his stomach and chest. I grabbed for his waist trying to pull him off me. He got in a couple good strikes. But the adrenaline was flowing. I was in this battle for my life and I wasn’t about to lose it. 

Thankfully, I didn’t have to. Nick pulled him off me so hard that he flew to the other side of the street and Sam and Coop were on him before I could say a word. Nick knelt next to where I’d slid down the wall, trying to catch my breath. I felt dizzy, shaky. I was familiar with the feeling. But it still sucked.

“Hey, Kat, come back to me,” I could hear Nick’s soothing voice and the hilarity of his voice combined with the struggle in the background weren’t lost on me.

It didn’t take Coop and Sam long to wrap the other guy up like a pretzel. I waved Nick away and pointed to the one in the white shirt who was now trying to crawl away down the street. Nick grabbed him by the back of the collar and, as he liked to say, yoked him up. 

“Alycia?” I groaned, trying to push myself off the ground. 

Sam was by my side in an instant, her arm under mine, helping to lift me up. In the end, I think she did most of the work. 

“She’s fine. Cap’s with her about three blocks down. It didn’t take her long to get to us. Woman can sprint with the best of them.”

“Sheer terror can do that to a person.”

“Yeah, well, if you ask me, she was more worried about you than about her. As soon as she saw us she started screaming your name and pointing town the road. She even tried to get Cap to go help but he wouldn’t hear it.”

“Now, stop getting my hopes up, Sam. It’s been a long time since a pretty lady cared about this old, broken Marine.”

“Shit,” the laughed. “Some punch must have rattled your brain.”

“Probably.”

Sam’s smile faded when she looked down at my side. I was wearing tan pants and by this point, they were soaked in blood. 

“Kat, what the fuck?” she asked, grabbing a bandana out of her back pocket and pushing it against the wound on my hip. 

“Old buddy had a knife,” I explained. “I moved fast enough to not get kebobed but not quite fast enough in the end.”

“Nick,” Sam yelled, then went over to help Coop with the two men until the police arrived. 

Nick hurried over. He always carried a medical kit in the cargo pocket of his pants. He whipped it out and knelt down so he could get a better look. 

“Damn, kiddo. That looks rough. You’re going to need some stitches. I’ve got some butterfly bandages. I’ll knit it up as much as I can here but we’re going to need to do some work when we get back.”

“Great,” I groaned, the adrenaline starting to subside and the pain setting in. 

 

Present:

 

Alycia knelt by the bed, her hand warm on my arm as I gulped large mouthfuls of air, trying to come back to reality. Part of me was there, in the hotel in Mexico. Part of me was still in the desert. I was having trouble pulling that piece back. I felt sick. I swallowed hard.

“Say something,” I muttered through clenched teeth.

“What?” she asked.

“Say something, anything. Please.”

I didn’t need to explain more. She pushed my sweaty hair out of my face with one hand and I felt the warm burn of her skin on my forehead, my cheek. 

“You’re alright, Kat. You’re safe here. You’re back in the hotel, in Mexico. You’re in your room here and I’ve been sitting with you most of the night. I couldn’t sleep so you let me stay here with you but I insisted that you take the bed because you were hurt. I admit, though, I haven’t been sleeping much.”

“Then I’m glad I took the bed,” I laughed. 

Her voice, soft, melodic, in some ways exotic to a girl from the Midwest, had helped pull me back. I sighed and rolled onto my back. The pain was a lot easier to manage when I was in my own head. It had been a long time. Almost two years. I could see the questions, the concern, on Alycia’s face. 

“Pull up a chair,” I said. “It’s a long story.”

 

8 Hours Earlier

 

The stitches had hurt like hell. There was no local anesthetic in Nick’s medical bag so the sutures had been done while I laid on my side, cursing myself for not downing half a bottle of tequila at the restaurant earlier. Coop had been nearby, a dangerous look on his face. I’d seen it before. One of his own had gotten hurt. He wanted blood and vengeance. Instead, he’d turned over the men to the local police. We knew they’d probably be out of jail before the end of the night. 

Nick finished the job, cut the final suture, and helped me sit up. “Got some magic beans for you.”

He dug out a bottle of pain pills from the bottom of his bag. I shook my head. “How about a couple Tylenol?”

“You sure. That’s going to hurt like hell.”

“It already hurts like hell. And those things knock me on my ass. I need to be ready to go.”

He paused for a moment but couldn’t argue. He replaced that bottle, pulled out a familiar red and white one, and handed me a couple pills from inside. I downed them with a glass of water and pushed myself off the bed. I was a little dizzy, a little unsteady, but I managed not to fall and make a fool out of myself. 

“Coop, anything more you need from me?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head harder than it needed to be. “Get some rest. And if Alycia wants to go anywhere tomorrow, tell her to text me. I want you to relax and you don’t need to be up and out.”

I wanted to object but he was right. I wasn’t in fighting shape right now, and as my bruises and aches got worse, tomorrow I’d be in even more pain. I walked back to my room, slowly and quietly. I knew that Alycia had gone to bed earlier. She’d been upset but I hadn’t wanted to talk to her. I didn’t want her to see me in pain. I didn’t want her to watch me getting stitched up, Nick’s fingers red with my blood. Now, I hoped she was asleep. 

Instead, I heard her in her room, talking on the phone, loudly and with an angry voice. 

“I don’t care, Brandon. I’m not coming home during the break…Don’t try to guilt me into it. My parents understand and have given me their full support. I’m going to take a real vacation…Then come with me. Why does everything always have to be on your terms?…That’s got nothing to do with-…Fine, just forget it. And stop yelling at me…You know what, I’m done. I don’t have anything else to say to you. We’re through.”

I heard the phone drop on the bed and an exasperated sigh. I tried to quietly sneak to my room and shut the door behind me. I must not have been very successful because about ten minutes later, there was a quiet knock on the door. 

I opened it, trying to stand up as straight as I could and to not look like I was about ready to fall over in pain. 

Alycia was standing in the hallway, tears in her eyes, her lower lip shaking slightly. “I’m so sorry,” she breathed. 

I stepped aside without a word and let her come in. She sat down on the end of my bed, but her head in her hands, and started to cry. I walked over to her, pulled out the desk chair so I could sit across from her, and pulled her hands down with mine so she had to look at me. 

“Why are you sorry?”

“Those men went after you because of me.”

“It’s not your fault, Alycia,” I pleaded with her. “People do things like that because they’re pieces of shit. And I do what I do to keep people safe. I’ve chosen that as my career. You don’t have anything to feel guilty about.”

“It’s not that. Well, not just that.”

“Then what is it.”

She sighed, pushed herself off the bed and paced around the small room like a caged animal. “I don't know,” she sounded exasperated. “I don’t know how to explain it, alright?”

“Alright,” I nodded. “But I need you to calm down and focus on your work. I got a little roughed up but I’ll be just fine.”

“I saw that cut on your hip. You needed stitches.”

“Yep,” I nodded. “Twelve of them, to be exact. And I have them and they’ll be out in ten days and I’ll be just fine.”

“But I know that had to hurt.”

“It’s not the fight itself that hurts, all that adrenaline, but tomorrow’s going to suck.”

Alycia paused, nervously chewing her bottom lip. “I don’t want to sleep alone tonight.”

“Take the bed,” I offered. “I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“I don’t think so,” she looked serious. “In fact, you need to lay down right now. You look like you’re about to fall asleep sitting down.”

I agreed with her. I was exhausted. With little sleep the night before and everything that had happened tonight, I was running on fumes. She grabbed my arm, gently, thankfully, and helped me out of the chair and towards the bed. It didn’t take long before I fell asleep.

 

Present:

 

“My first deployment to Afghanistan, there was a guy in my unit called Chuck. His real name was David Eckstein and no one knew why we called him Chuck, but we did. Chuck was a cool guy. He was a six foot Jewish kid from upstate New York with a lisp and thick glasses but he was a genus mechanic. His dad was some kind of engineer, mom was a college professor, had three older siblings, all prodigies in their own field, and this kid joins the Marines. He was a year or two older than me but he’d joined when he turned seventeen. 

“He was a scrawny thing and he’d fold himself up under an Humvee like a pretzel and have it working in thirty seconds flat. Because of that, he was always asked to go along on convoys because if something broke down, he could fix it.”

I swallowed hard. We were getting to the part I didn’t want to remember. 

“Chuck and I were fast friends. Both the odd man out amongst a bunch of gear heads. But we had a blast together. So one time, we both get called out for the convoy. I’m in one truck, he’s in a Humvee near the back. The Humvee in front of mine hits an IED. Well, it turns out it was a daisy chain, which is when IEDs are rigged in a line to go off, one after another. The first one that hit destroyed the Humvee in front of us. Four people dead, instantly. It knocked our truck over on the side, though, which is what saved us because we weren’t on top of the next explosion. We got lucky. 

“But, the IED was just the beginning. Four blasts, the first Humvee destroyed, our truck disabled, the Humvee behind us was damaged. I crawled out of the truck. We took up a defensive position. Then came the attack. There were twelve of them, at least. We were never sure about the final count. Chuck and I were next to each other, behind one of the Humvees. He’d rushed over when he saw what happened to make sure I was ok so we started returning fire. My weapon jammed. I was trying to clear it but I didn’t realize that I wasn’t behind cover. Chuck grabbed me, pushed me down. That’s when he got hit.”

I paused. My throat was thick. Tears were running down my face. My ribs ached from trying to hold in sobs. Alycia laid a gentle hand on my arm, reminding me that she was there, that I was here, and that everything was going to be alright. 

“He didn’t make it. He bled out right there on the ground next to me. He saved my life. That bullet should have it me. It would have hit me if not for him. You asked me why I do this job. It’s because I really do want to keep people safe. Maybe I have a hero complex.”

“Sounds to me like your heart’s in the right place. You don’t want to believe that your friend’s memory, his sacrifice, is going to waste.”

I nodded. “Pretty much.”

“So why not become a cop or a firefighter?”

I looked up at her and chuckled. “All this emotional bullshit and you’re still asking questions.”

Alycia blushed and looked down. “I’m sorry. That was really insensitive of me.”

“No,” I shook my head. “It was perfect. I’m not one for wallowing in self-pity. Chuck was a great friend, a good man, and the best thing I could do is to honor his memory by not crying like a little bitch. The truth, though, I don’t know. Maybe I’ll do that someday. But Daniel offered me this job before I got out. I get to travel, meet interesting people, and I really do love it most days.”

“I’m glad you picked this, to be honest.”

“Why?”

“Now you’re the one asking the questions,” Alycia teased. 

“Are you going to answer them?”

She paused for a moment, looking at me in that calculating way. Finally, she shook her head. “Not tonight. You need sleep. We’re both exhausted.”

“Go back to your room,” I pleaded. “Sleep in your own bed so you can actually sleep.”

“No,” she shook her head, standing and moving the chair back to its place at the desk. “I’m sleeping right here tonight, then in the morning, I’m getting you breakfast and you can ask me any questions you want.”

“Any?” I wasn’t sure why my stomach flipped, but it did. “And you’ll actually answer them.”

She laughed. “Yes, now get some sleep.”

I laid down. She turned off the light. I noticed that my chest felt lighter. The pain wasn’t as bad. I felt rooted back in the real world again. But I was also nervous. I could ask her the questions I wanted to, but I wasn’t sure that I wanted to know her answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're all enjoying the story. This is probably the last chapter I'll be able to get up before I leave for vacation but I'll be back soon and ready to continue.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kat has to make a choice between her heart and her head and then deal with the consequences.

Chapter 6

When I woke up the next morning, Alycia was sitting in the chair by the desk, texting furiously on her phone. Her brow was furrowed. She was chewing on her bottom lip. Her hair was a little messy from where she’d been sleeping. Even first thing in the morning, this woman was a distraction. I shook my head and gave myself a strong, internal talking-to. I had a job to do, and the events from the day before proved that someone was after them. I didn’t have time for feelings. 

It was difficult. I knew that I cared for Alycia, and I was getting some serious hints that she might have similar feelings, even though she had a boyfriend who might now be an ex. But I couldn’t let myself think about that. With a deep breath, I pushed everything down, out of the way. It wasn't easy, but it always wasn’t the first time I’d had to do it. 

Alycia must have heard me sigh because she turned, smiling. It was almost enough right there to break my resolve. This was going to be harder than I thought. 

“Good morning,” she said. “How are you feeling?”

“Pretty shitty,” I said, honestly. 

I’d been right. The pain was a lot worse in some ways this morning. My hip was swollen around the stitches, making them ache and burn. My shoulder still hurt, so much so that I didn’t want to move it. I knew it would take a while for that pain to disappear. My head was fine where I’d hit the brick wall in the alley, my chin didn’t hurt, or my gut where I’d taken a knee to it. All in all, it wasn’t terrible, but it also really sucked. 

“What can I do?”

“I seem to remember being promised breakfast.”

Alycia laughed. “Anything sound good?”

“All of it. I’m starving. And if you happen to find Nick around anywhere, ask him for a handful of Tylenol.”

Alycia went back over to her room and I heard her getting ready. I dozed off before she got back with the food and I woke with a start when she closed the door behind her. 

“Sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It’s alright,” I said, struggling to sit up in bed. “I’m just a little jumpy right now.”

“I found Nick,” she said, putting a bottle of Tylenol down on the bedside table. “He said to take the whole thing. I don’t think he meant at one time.”

“You never know. Though, he was in the Air Force. I think they’re more used to cuddles and hot cocoa.”

She gave me a funny look. 

“Sorry, cultural humor that you won’t get,” I smiled. “While the branches of the military work together, we also give each other a hard time. The Air Force has the reputation as being the easiest branch, the cushy ride through the service, nice bases, better barracks, more money, all that good stuff. We just like to give each other a hard time.”

“What about the Marines?”

“We’re perfect, everyone loves us.”

Alycia laughed. “That sounds like a lie.”

“Fair enough. We’re the smallest branch, we have the smallest budget, but we’re like the pit bulls of the military. We’re not pretty, but we’re tough. Some branches question our intelligence though. After all, why would I join the Air Force?”

“Why didn’t you?”

“I wanted to be the best,” I grinned. 

Alycia grabbed a bottle of water for me so I could down a few Tylenol and then we sat in companionable silence while we ate breakfast. When she was done, Alycia leaned back in her chair and stretched. 

“I think I made you a promise last night. You can ask me any questions you want.”

“I don’t think I should ask you any questions.”

“Why not?”

I sighed. “I value our friendship, Alycia. I really do. But I honestly think that I need to focus on work right now. There’s obviously a threat, to you, to the other cast members and crew on this production. I need to focus on that. Maybe, when this is all over, we can talk.”

Alycia’s face fell and it took everything in me not to reach out to her. She stood up, gathering her plate and napkin from breakfast. 

“No, that’s fine. I totally get it. I’m going to go ahead and get out of here so you can rest. If you need anything, let me know.”

She left before I could say anything, shutting the door with a little more force than necessary. I pushed my food aside, no longer hungry. 

“I am a fucking idiot,” I groaned, staring at the ceiling. 

———————

The next four weeks passed in relative peace. My hip healed quickly. Nick took the stitches out and other than a gnarly looking scar, I didn’t have any issues. My shoulder still bothered me on and off. I knew I’d have to find a doctor when we had our break in a couple weeks to see if any major damage had been done. Ice packs and Motrin helped, much more than the Tylenol and I’d been able to switch once my hip healed enough that bleeding wasn’t an issue. 

Alycia and I, though, had never been the same. She was cold at times, aloof always. We weren’t friends anymore. I was an employee, and once again felt like a piece of furniture, or a puppy following her around with my tail between my legs like I’d been scolded. The rest of the cast was great. They were warm and kind. Even Mercedes and Kim had brought up her behavior but I’d shrugged them off. I didn’t think it was right, or professional, to talk to them about our friendship and what I’d said. 

A week after they’d noticed the change in our relationship, Mercedes and I had been talking between scenes and she’d brought up that she’d broken up with her boyfriend and he hadn’t stopped trying to talk to her and hadn’t been leaving her alone so maybe that was what was bothering her. I knew that wasn’t it, but I was also surprised about how upset it made me. And I couldn’t even talk to her about it. I felt like shit. 

We’d finished most of the filming for the first part of the season and after another day, we’d wrap for a couple days and adjust the set a bit for more desert shoots, though this time we could stay outside the city instead of going too far out into the desert. There hadn’t been anymore incidents either. The two men had been arrested and questioned by police and claimed that they had acted alone and gone after Alycia because they thought they could kidnap her and ransom her for money. None of us believed that story.

The last day of filming I was up before the sun, chewing up pavement one step at a time. I had started running again as soon as the stitches came out. Ten days of inactivity had been hell, especially when someone I cared about wasn’t talking to me and I didn’t have an outlet for my pent up energy. I felt my blood pumping, listened to the rhythm my breath was making as I inhaled and exhaled. I stopped at an intersection, enjoying the feeling of the cool air on my skin, before turning back around. I made it back to the hotel just as the sky was turning pink. 

Frank was out front, leaning against the brick front of the building. 

“Good run?”

I nodded. “Isn’t Cap supposed to be out here with you?”

Frank grinned. “Yep.”

“You didn’t tell him.”

“Sometimes, I just want a couple minutes to myself. Seems like someone’s always watching me these days.”

“Fame doesn’t really lend itself to seclusion, huh?”

He shook his head, taking a long drag on the cigarette between his fingers. “I picked one hell of a profession.”

“At least you’re good at it.”

“Tolerable.”

I laughed. “You’re hot, that helps.”

“I thought I wasn’t your type.”

“You’re not.”

“And what about Alycia.”

My expression must have changed because Frank grinned. 

“Knew it.”

“Am I that transparent?”

“No,” he shook his head. “You’re actually really fucking good at hiding it. She’s not so good at it.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The way she looks at you. The way she talks about you, even now when she’s pissed off at you. By the way, what did you do?”

“I was falling hard, and then I got hurt, and I needed to remember that the job comes first. I couldn’t risk her getting hurt or worse because I wasn’t focused.”

“And you told her that?”

“Not exactly. We were getting into dangerous territory. I put on the breaks. I don’t know if she knew how I felt about her.”

“She didn’t, or doesn’t. I can tell you that. She thinks you’re not into her. And that’s why you shut her down.”

“And you know this, how?”

“I asked her.”

I shook my head. “Life’s complicated. And I don’t know what to do.”

“Don’t say anything,” Frank said, flicking his cigarette butt into a nearby trashcan. “She’s starting to get frustrated. Everything will break soon and you’ll have your chance.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I think you’re awesome. And you’d be great for our girl.”

I took a long shower, feeling the water wash away a lot of the anxiety and doubt I’d been feeling for the past month. I got dressed with a little spring in my step and was downstairs about half an hour before anyone else was up. I parked myself at a table in the corner and got to work finishing Lord of the Flies. Lorenzo and Colman were the first ones down, followed shortly by the rest of the team, Kim, and Frank. Cliff wandered in sleepily a few minutes later and finally, Mercedes and Alycia walked in. I was sitting at the table with Nick and Sam now, Cap was talking to Scott and Danny and Coop and Frank were shooting the shit over equally strong cups of black coffee. 

“Just a couple more weeks and we get to head back to the States for a break,” Nick sighed. 

“You ready to head back?” Sam asked. 

Coop nodded. “I’m ready for some crappy fast food and equally crappy TV.”

“What are you going to do when you get back?” I asked, watching Alycia over Nick’s shoulder. 

I saw her glance in my direction, then quickly look away when she saw me watching. 

“I think Tracy and I are going to go on vacation for a little while. She’s always wanted to tour wine country, whatever that means. I told her to make plans while I was gone and when I talked to her last night, she had hotel reservations, tours booked, and a hundred other things. I might be busier on vacation than I am now.”

“I’m going to spend three whole days catching up on Netflix and drinking beer.”

“What about you, Kat?”

“Maybe catch up on my reading,” I joked. “Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t have any plans. I’ll probably call Daniel and see if he has any other work.”

“No,” Sam said, loudly enough that the rest of the room turned to look at her.

I blushed and ducked my head. 

“I need everyone’s attention,” Nick stood, making sure everyone could see me. “We have a crisis. Our good friend, Kat, hasn’t taken a vacation in seven years. During her time in the Marines, she used her leave time to sit at home and play video games. This woman need a break. And now, she’s planning on going back to the States and working while we’re on break. We need to come together, as a team, and make sure this doesn’t happen. It is our civic duty as humans, to help her.”

“You have to take a vacation,” Kim chided. “Seriously.”

“Ok, but where would I go? I’m solo. It doesn’t sound like much fun to go sit in a hotel room by myself for a week. I can do that at home. For free.”

“This is not optional,” Mercedes chimed in. “We’re making you vacation plans and you have to go.”

“Fine,” I gave up, throwing my hands into the air in a gesture of defeat. “As long as it involves me drinking something out of a coconut.”

“We can do that,” Kim looked contemplative and when she and Mercedes sat back down, their heads were close and they were talking quickly. 

I saw Alycia meet my eyes across the room. She held them a little longer this time before she looked away. I turned to Nick. 

“I fucking hate you, dude.”

“I’m alright with that. I’ve reconciled our love, hate relationship.”

I shook my head at him and beaned him in the head with a piece of bacon. 

Thankfully, the rest of breakfast was uneventful. Everyone went their separate ways to get ready before we headed over to the set. I walked down the hallway, a few steps behind Alycia. Normally, she went into her room and closed the door without a word but this time she stopped and turned toward me. 

I saw something in her eyes that took my breath away. Barely restrained tears. She blinked and they were gone, back into her shell, and I had to remind myself to inhale. 

“You should come with me, when we’re on break. I’m staying at the Perivolas in Greece for two weeks.” 

She said the words quickly, like she was trying to get them out before she changed her mind. I was stunned. I stood there in silence for a few seconds. 

“I’m really confused right now, Alycia. You haven’t said more than a few words to me in weeks and now you’re asking me to come with you on your vacation.”

“You’re right,” she stammered. “I didn’t mean—”

And with that she opened her door and shut it behind her. 

“No, wait. I didn’t—”

But it was too late. She was gone, disappeared behind the door. I wanted to shove it open, to knock until she came and to face her, to make her say what she meant and tell me what she wanted. But I couldn’t. I noticed that I was frozen in the hallway with my fist raised like I was about to knock. I let it drop to my side, retreated into my own room. 

I was sitting on my bed, head in my hands, when my phone rang. I wasn’t surprised to see that it was Cap, but I was a little disappointed. 

“Yeah,” I answered. 

“Hey, the cast wants to have a little party tonight before we break for the long weekend. They’ve picked out a restaurant near the set so they can head there after filming. There’s no way for us to take over the whole restaurant but we need to set up some security measures before we head over there. You and Sam head over there now, the rest of us will take the cast to the set. We’ll call up the night guys too so they can be out there so there’ll be fifteen of us to handle things.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Call me after you guys scope it out.”

“Will do.”

I hung up the phone and thought for a minute. I went out into the hallways, knocked on Alycia’s door. She answered and her eyes widened when she saw me. 

“I won’t be going to set with you today,” I said, quickly. “Sam and I have to check out some security measures for dinner tonight. But I want to talk. Just the two of us. Please.”

“Now?”

“No,” I shook my head. “Tonight, after dinner. When we have more time.”

“Kat,” she breathed, and my name sounded like heaven in her mouth. “I’m sorry. I—”

I held up my hand to stop her. 

“Tonight. I promise.”

With that, I walked away, afraid of what I’d say if I stood in front of her for a moment longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone,   
> Thanks for sticking with me. I'm back from vacation and ready to write. Can't wait to keep the story going. I hope you all are enjoying it. Things get much more complicated in the next chapter. I promise.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A life-changing moment forces Kat and Alycia to confront their feelings for each other and make a decision about what comes next.

Chapter 7

“This is not a great choice,” Sam said as we walked through the restaurant for a second time. “Lots of really bad angles, poor avenues of retreat, crowded.”

“What about the patio?” I asked. “I hate the lack of cover but it’s also got more space and we can probably have it all to ourselves. In here, it’ll be crowded as shit.”

“Let’s go check it out again.”

We walked back out to the patio. It had three large tables with bench seats, a bar against one wall, and was partially covered. There were decorative string lights hanging from the ceiling. Under better circumstances, this would have been an awesome place to host a party. 

“We can put the tables under the covered section, three guards on nearby roofs, three on the ground around the building, one in the restaurant and the rest of us milling around, ready to evacuate if we need to. It’ll offer us the best cover, we can control access to the patio.”

Sam nodded. “Sounds like a better than half-assed plan. Call Cap. We’ll make it work.”

———————

It was almost seven by the time the cast got there. Everyone looked tired but ready to party. When they got out of the van, Alycia caught my eye. I saw the question on her face and I gave her what I hoped was a supportive smile. We’d talk. I nodded. I saw her visibly relax and then I went back to watching the streets from the corner of the patio. 

“Everyone in position?” Coop asked, his voice loud through my earpiece. 

“Ready to go,” Sam said from her position on one of the roofs. 

She had two of the night security guys up there with her, watching the other rooftops and the streets. Cap and Scott had the streets, Danny was sitting in the restaurant at a table near the door to the patio. I was on the patio with Nick and the rest of the night security. We were milling around. I was staying close to the railing, keeping an eye on the streets and alley entrances. 

“In position,” I said, “and all clear.”

The patio was filling up. Cast, the producers, a couple directors. I saw Jacinta milling around but it had been weeks since we’d said anything more than hello and I didn’t mind keeping the streak going. Drinks were being filled, and then refilled. Appetizers were out on the tables. The weather was mild and calm. But there was still a knot of dread in my gut. I knew how dangerous this situation was. For anyone wanting to make a move, it was a gold mine. 

“I’ve got movement in an alley near the patio,” I heard Sam’s voice in my ear. “Northwest corner. Man in a red shirt. Headed your way.”

I leaned over the railing, trying to be nonchalant, feeling the firearm I had tucked into the waistband of my pants at my hip. The holster was cool on my skin.

The man exited the alley, turned left, and disappeared up the street. I stood. “Individual is moving away. Keep your eye on him if you can but he doesn’t appear to be a direct threat.”

“Roger that,” Sam said. 

The crowd started moving toward the tables, grabbing their seats, refilling their drinks from the bar one last time. I noticed that Alycia sat at the end of one of the tables, closest to me, and I smiled as I turned back to the street. Things were looking up. 

I let the conversation wash over me. I was aware of it, but I made sure not to pay attention to it. I was focused on my job. All of us were. There was tension in the air. It was palpable for all of us who’d been in similar situations. I had to pull myself back to reality a few times and remind myself that I wasn’t in Afghanistan. 

The entrees came out and my stomach growled. I couldn’t help it. The food smelled good. We made it through dinner with no issues and after the plates had been cleared, everyone sat around and talked. There had been no other issues. The restaurant inside had cleared out save for a couple tables and the streets had remained fairly quiet. 

“More incoming,” Sam said, and I could hear the strain in her voice. “Half a dozen. I see a weapon. Get them out of there.”

Nick was already moving. I turned around. “What direction?”’

“East, take them through the restaurant and out the front door. It’s clear.”

“Everyone,” I shouted. “Get out of here.”

I unholstered my weapon. 

“Through the restaurant, now.”

“Bring the vans around,” I heard Coop’s voice in my ear piece. 

“On their way already,” Scott answered. 

“Keep everyone in the restaurant until they get here,” Cap ordered. 

I moved in behind the crowd as they moved toward the door. I kept my eye on Alycia since she was near the back but I didn’t expect her to stop and turn. 

“Kat,” she said, reaching out toward me.

“Go,” I grabbed her hand, squeezing it in mine. “I’ll be there soon.”

She let go of my hand and I watched her disappear into the building. I turned as the men came out of the alley. I saw the weapons first and quickly flipped over one of the heavy wooden tables on the patio so Nick and I could use it for cover. It might not stop much, but it was better than nothing. 

There was silence in the alley, a thick, pregnant silence. My stomach twisted. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears. I heard the vans pulling up to the front door and it helped me relax a little. At least everyone would be gone. At least she would be safe. 

“You’re making a mistake,” a man in a black shirt at the front of the small crowd of men yelled into the silence, his English thickly accented. “We are Bandidos de hierro, my friends. I don’t think you know what you’re getting involved in.”

“You need to leave, now,” I heard Cap’s voice from nearby. “I don’t know what you're after, but this won’t end well for you and your friends.”

“I could say the same thing.”

“What is it that you want?”

“Repayment, for the use of our land.”

“This isn’t your territory.”

“Our territory is wherever we say it is, gringo.”

“I don’t think so,” Cap shouted. “These people are ours, in our protection. We won’t let you get close to them.”

“You have two weeks to make a decision. Either leave, or you pay, one way or the other.”

With that they turned, retreating back into the alley. 

“Sam, see if you can keep an eye on them. We need to try to figure out where they’re coming from.”

I heard the gunshot, felt the wood of the table near me splinter. Nick and I both dove at each other, trying to fight to see who could protect the other. If it hadn’t been a life or death situation, the absurdity of it all would have been hilarious. 

“Shots fired,” Coop yelled, which seemed a little unnecessary given the fact that we’d all heard it.

“Lone gunman, Northeast corner.”

“It’s a diversion,” I yelled. “Keep your eyes on the group.”

“Already lost them,” Sam said. “I’ll try to re-engage.”

“Fuck,” I swore. 

I heard a second gunshot, a third, then all was quiet. 

“Target down,” I heard Coop’s voice. 

Nick and I both rose over our cover, scanned the scene. I saw the shooter’s body just by the entrance to the alley. 

“Clear,” Nick said. 

I moved back to the other side of the patio, checking the alley behind us, the streets nearby. 

“Clear on the backside.”

“Clear down here. Sam did you find them.”

“Roger that,” she said. “I have their location. A warehouse, three blocks over.”

“Notify local police. We’ll ask them if they want us to take point.”

“Is everyone safe?” I asked, realizing that I wasn’t sure who had left and who might still be in the restaurant. 

“Everyone’s clear,” Scott said, his voice a little muffled by distance. “We got everyone back to the hotel.”

“Everyone who can be spared, hurry back to help them out. Sam, Nick, on me. We’ll stay here and secure the area until local police arrive.”

We were a couple miles from the hotel, which actually made me feel a little better about the situation. They were safe, hopefully. I loaded into the final van with everyone else and we hurried back to the hotel. 

Inside was chaos. There were a lot of crew members and cast that weren’t normally there. They weren’t sure what was going on. Everyone was milling around the lobby, the breakfast room. I didn’t care. 

I knew what I was supposed to do. Assess the situation, contain, control. I didn’t care. I plowed though the lobby, through the breakfast room, and finally, I took the stairs up to the second floor three at a time. 

I knocked on Alycia’s door. Pounded on it might be more accurate.

The door opened almost instantly. I stood there, breathing hard. I didn’t know what I must look like to her, half-crazed, panting in the hallway. But she didn’t care. She grabbed my wrist, pulled me inside and into a tight embrace. It was everything I could do not to collapse into her arms. Instead, I took a deep breath and a step back. Alycia looked at me, confused. 

“Why did you shut me out?”

“You want to ask that right now?” she asked with a laugh.

“You told me I could ask you any question that I wanted to. I’m taking you up on the offer.”

“Because it hurt. I thought you were shutting me out. I thought,” she struggled for the words. 

“I’m crazy about you,” I interrupted, taking both of Alycia’s hands in mine. “I can’t stop thinking about you. The past month has been torture, not being able to talk to you, to laugh with you, to be close to you. I thought that I was keeping you safe by pushing you away because it would give me more space to focus on my job. The truth is, I haven’t thought about anything but you.”

“You’re serious,” Alycia said after what I thought was a dangerously long pause. 

“I just kind of poured my heart out to you so I’m going to hope that you have more to say than that.”

She didn’t. Instead, she took a step towards me, shaking my hands off of hers. I let go. She put a hand on my cheek, brushing it gently with one finger. I felt my knees go weak. When she trapped my lips with hers, warm and wet, it was like a bomb went off inside my head and the world went white, then blue, purple, black. Fireworks. I gasped against her mouth, a sharp intake of breath. She smiled against my lips. 

The kiss was over more quickly than I wanted it to be, lasting barely more than a handful of seconds. But I pulled back, leaning against the doorframe to steady myself because I thought my knees were going to buckle. 

Alycia took a step back, raising one hand to her lips like she could still feel the burn of my kiss against them. 

“Oh shit,” she breathed. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

“No,” I said, then realized what I said and shook my head. “I mean, yes. I mean. Fuck. Yes, you should have. I’m glad you did.” I took a deep breath. “Alycia, I’ve wanted to kiss you for quite a while now but I was terrified to. First, I thought that you’d never be interested in someone like me. And second, I thought for sure you’d never be interested in someone like me.”

She laughed and I saw her relax. 

“Why didn’t you ever tell me.”

“Because I didn’t think you’d be interested in someone like me.’

“Stop saying that,” she grinned. 

“Listen, I have to get back downstairs with everything going on. Can I come back up here tonight, though? We can talk.”

“Can I go with you? I don’t really want to be alone.”

I nodded and we walked through the hallway together, so close that her hand kept brushing mine.

“If you didn’t want to be alone, why did you come up here?” I asked as the thought occurred to me. 

I saw Alycia blush out of the corner of my eye. “Because I was freaking out and I didn’t want anyone else to see it.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” Alycia stopped, pulling me into a small alcove in the hallway where the ice machine was.

“What?” I asked. 

Her eyes were intense, shining in the dim light of the room. She was close to me. I could feel her breath on my face and even though I was an inch or two taller, I still felt intimidated.

“I didn’t know what had happened. I was back here with no idea whether you’d been shot or not. I heard it. The shot. We were pulling away in the van and I heard one shot, then two more. I didn’t know which side was shooting or what happened, I just knew you were out on that patio and that someone was shooting. I was going crazy. I didn’t want anyone else to see.”

I looked down, took her hands in mine again, relishing the feeling of her soft, warm skin against mine. 

“You need to know something. And I’m going to tell you and then we’re going to go downstairs and we’re going to take care of everyone else and then we’re going to talk about it later after you’ve had time to think about it.”

She looked nervous. 

“This is the reality of my life. There might be a time when I don’t come back in one piece. It’s what I do, Alycia. I protect people. I protect you, and yes, I’ll jump in front of a bullet or a knife to protect you and anyone on this set if I have to. I care about you, but you have to know what it’s like and I don’t know what this is or what’s going to happen, but you have to have all the information. You have to be ready for what that means.”

“So you’re basically telling me that you could die. That one day, you might not come back.”

I nodded. I could see the tears in Alycia’s eyes and it made me feel sick to think that all I seemed to be doing lately was making her cry. I wanted to kiss her again, but I didn’t. She looked up at me, a single tear escaping and running down her cheek. I wanted to reach up, brush it away, but I held her hands tightly, fully aware that this might be my last opportunity to do so. This might be the last time that I felt her skin, her touch. I promised myself that I would memorize this moment so I could always go back to it if I needed to. 

“I understand why you’re telling me this. Even though it’s hard to hear. We are going to talk about it, right?”

“I promise.”

“Then let’s go downstairs.”

I nodded again, held onto her hands for a few more seconds, and then slowly let them drop.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In quiet moments after the chaos, Kat and Alycia finally get a chance to talk.

Chapter 8

The chaos was a little more controlled by the time Alycia and I got downstairs. The story had spread that everyone with our team was fine and safe and that we found out where the Bandidos de Hierro were hiding out. Now we had little to do except get the other group, the crew and other cast, back to their hotel, and wait for Sam, Nick, and Coop. 

We loaded up the vans with the other cast and crew and the night team took them back to their hotel, a thirty-minute drive in another town over. Finally, after a couple hours, everyone calmed down enough to head back to their rooms. Danny and Scott took the first shift at the front door. Cap and I were set to relieve them in three hours. We double checked that the back door on the first floor, the only other entrance to the hotel, was locked. Finally, it was just me and Alycia in the breakfast room. She stifled a yawn. 

“Ready to head upstairs?” I asked. 

“Are we going to talk?”

“If you can stay awake long enough,” I smiled.

She shook her head to wake herself up. “I've got this.”

We walked to her room. It was an awkward silence. I felt like a teenager again, on my first date with a pretty girl, and I didn’t know what to do with my hands. 

Alycia opened her door and walked in, leaving it open so I could follow. I lowered myself into the desk chair, realizing that I was pretty exhausted as well. I called on a lot of my willpower to perk up and pay attention. It would have been easy for me to fall asleep right there. Alycia sat down on the edge of her bed, yawned again. I laughed. 

“We’re both a mess,” I said. 

“We are, but I still want to talk.”

“What do you want to talk about?” I asked, not really sure where to start. 

Alycia took a deep breath. “I kind of want to hear you say that you’re crazy about me again.”

I laughed. “I am crazy about you.”

“That sounds pretty nice. I think I could get used to that.”

“Good,” I smiled. 

Alycia paused. “Now we have the time to talk and I don’t even know what to say.”

“What’s the first thing that comes to mind?”

“How fucking stupid I am.”

“That took a surprising left turn.”

Alycia put her head in her hands and I was a little worried but she looked back up quickly and was smiling. “I wasted so much time being mad at you. I was so scared when you got hurt. Seriously, terrified. The whole time you were getting stitched up I was crying hysterically and trying not to vomit. You got hurt because of me.”

I reached out and started to interrupt her but she silenced me with a hand. 

“I did. You can deny that all you want, but you were protecting me. You’ll have a scar for the rest of your life because of me. I thought I could make up for it by taking care of you. And I’d already started falling for you. I found you intriguing from the moment I met you, and finally started admitting it to myself. I was trying to drop hints and then you shut down. I thought you saw what I was trying to do and you weren’t interested.”

I felt a lump in my throat. No wonder she’d spent so much time being mad at me. Not only did she think that I wasn’t interested, but I’d embarrassed her. 

“I was so focused on keeping you physically safe, that I wasn’t even paying attention to your feelings and that was really shitty of me.”

“Yeah, it was,” Alycia laughed. “But I don’t blame you. I was doing the reverse. I was so interested in you that I ignored the fact that you had a job to do.”

“So where do we go from here?” I asked, getting to the part that scared me the most. 

I think Alycia could see it in my face, hear it in my voice. She stood up, paced around the room. 

“I know what I want, Kat. But I also know that you have a job to do and I don’t want to risk that for you. You love your job and I won’t take it away from you.”

“As long as I do my job, and do it well, which means keeping you and the rest of the cast safe, I’m not going to lose it. But if I do, there will always be other jobs and opportunities. But I’m pretty sure that no matter how long I live and no matter how many places I go, I’ll never find another person like you.”

I intercepted Alycia as she paced near my chair, grabbing her arm and stopping her, turning her so that she was facing me. I could hear her breathing, air whispering between her parted lips.

“You’re choosing me?”

“I’m choosing you, Alycia. But, before we go any further, did you think about what I said before? Us being together, and me being your bodyguard, also means that you might have to walk away while I stay behind. It means you leaving to get to safety while I stay. Can you do that?”

“I have been to a lot of places. I’ve met a lot of people. I’ve never felt about anyone the way that I feel about you. You made my heart skip a beat the first time I saw you and ever since then, I’ve wanted to get to know you, to be close to you. Not being close for the past month has been like losing a part of myself. I’d rather be with you for a short period of time if something does happen, than wonder what could have happened.”

Those last words were a whisper and her face was inches from mine. I could almost feel her lips on my skin as she spoke and I didn’t have the self-control to stop myself. I closed the distance between us and felt her sink into my arms. I cupped her cheek with one hand, running my thumb against her face. We kissed slowly, gently. Her lips were warm and wet on mine. I didn’t feel tired anymore. I felt alive, energized. 

Alycia pulled away for a moment and I opened my eyes. Hers were open, looking at me. I smiled. “What?”

“I just can’t really believe this is real.”

“It is,” I slid my hand around to the back of her neck, tangling it in her hair. “It’s very real.”

We kissed again, more heat, more passion. I felt her fingertips digging into my back, pulling me closer until our bodies were pressed against each other. We stood like that forever, or maybe it was more like a second. Time lost all meaning to me. It stretched out and slammed together and all I knew was that I wanted to taste her kiss and feel her body against mine forever. But time wasn’t on our side right now. 

I pulled away, feeling her lips reaching for me one last time as I broke our kiss. She let out a gentle sigh, little more than an exhale between lips that were swollen with the intensity of my mouth pressed against them. 

“I’m sorry,” I breathed, resting my forehead against hers as I tried to catch my breath. 

She looked confused and I laughed. 

“I really, really want to keep kissing you. But, I also know what’s going to happen if I do and I’m not ready for that yet. I want us to take our time and I want us to be able to have time, together, just the two of us. So if we have to have a little self-control until we get that chance, then so be it. I just know that I’m going to have to head back downstairs as soon as we get word about what happens next.”

“I understand. I don’t like it. But I understand.”

“But damn, woman. You are one hell of a kisser.”

She laughed and I kissed her again, hard, taking her breath away. We stood like that for several moments, wrapped in each others’ arms, our lips pressed together. Alycia pulled back this time. 

“Now you’re testing my control.”

“I should try to get some sleep,” I said, taking a step backward so it wouldn’t be as easy to kiss her. 

“You can always stay here tonight.”

I smiled. The hope in her voice. But I had to shake my head. “I wish I could. And I will, the next opportunity I have. But I’m going to go take a quick shower and I’ll probably only get to sleep for an hour or two. You need more rest than that.”

“Fine,” she seemed a little disappointed but it passed quickly when she realized that I was right, and she was exhausted. “But come get me if anything happens. Or at least send me a text.”

I agreed, kissed her again, forcing myself not to linger, and then walked across the hallway to my room. My shower was fast. I didn’t want anything to happen while I was standing wet and naked in the bathroom. I pulled on a fresh pair of pants and a new t-shirt, reminding myself that I needed to do laundry soon, and put my boots back on even though I was going to lay down and get some sleep.

I was surprised when I woke to a knock on my door a few hours later. I expected a phone call when Nick, Sam, and Coop came back. Instead, I opened the door and saw Sam standing there. She looked sleepy but otherwise uninjured. 

“Hey,” I said, shocked. “What’s going on?”

“Fucking politics,” she spat. “Good to know the old US of A doesn’t have a monopoly on stupid bullshit. Can I come in?”

I stepped aside and she walked through the door, sitting in my desk chair and kicking off her boots. I grabbed a bottle of water from the case near my bathroom and handed it to her. She thanked me, draining half of it in a long gulp. 

“Start from the beginning.”

“Well, we called the local cops, asked them how they wanted to deal with the situation. A couple guys came out, pretended to do an investigation. They said they wanted to hand it off to the department in Mexicali because they had started the investigation. So we call up there. They say it’s out of their jurisdiction. Meanwhile, these assholes that are camping out in the warehouse drive off into the sunset. And then the fucking local cops want to try to investigate us because of the guy that got shot, like we had any other option.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I shook my head. 

I wasn’t completely surprised. We’d run into similar issues with police in the US who either wanted to come in and take over a situation that was already under control or who didn't want anything to do with it because the people involved were too controversial. But this involved gangs and a pretty significant amount of violence and threats.

“So what’s our next move.”

“Cap is in talking with the producers now. He’s suggesting that we stop filming for right now, take the break early, and then move to an entirely different area when we come back.”

“Sounds like a good idea. This area is getting pretty dangerous. And they’ll be back for more. We took out one of their own.”

“Better to cut and run, especially when civilians are involved.”

“Agreed.”

Sam sat back in her chair and finished the rest of her water. She tossed the bottle at the trash can and made it in on the first try.

“How was it back here?”

“Not bad,” I said. “People were scared, but we sent the night team to the other hotel so I’m sure they feel better having some security on deck.”

“Everyone here seems to be asleep, or at least safe in their rooms.”

“What time is it?” I realized that I hadn’t even checked my watch when I woke up.

“A little after five.”

“Damn,” I shook my head. “I got more sleep than I expected. I need to go relieve Danny and Scott. My watch starts in thirty minutes.”

In response, my alarm started going off. I laughed, grabbed my phone, and turned it off. Sam snorted and shook her head. “Sorry I cut in on some beauty sleep.”

“You know I need all of that I can get.”

“No lie,” she jabbed.

“Alright then, asshole, go away and let me do my job.”

I grabbed my phone and sent a quick text to Alycia letting her know that I would be down by the front door if the needed anything.

“What was that?” Sam asked.

“What?”

“That smile,” she said, her eyes narrowing as she looked at me. “Who were you texting?”

“None of your business,” I said, shoving my phone back in my pocket.

She cocked an eyebrow at me and grinned. “Whoever she is, you’ve got it bad, girl.”

I shoved her out the door, pulling it shut behind me, and shooed her off down the hallway toward her room. She wasn’t wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're all enjoying the story. I'll have the next chapter up in the next day or two and then you'll be rewarded with a nice, fluffy interlude. This story does have an "M" rating for a reason after all ;-)


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kat and Alycia discuss what comes next now that their feelings have gotten too hot to handle.

Chapter 9

“What’s this?” I asked as Alycia walked into the breakfast room two days later and handed me a folded piece of paper. 

We’d barely gotten a chance to see each other in the past forty-eight hours, and less chance to talk. I’d finished my watch and been replaced by Nick and Sam. Coop, Cap and I spent the rest of the day trying to talk the producers into changing the schedule, leaving the area, and regrouping somewhere else later. But they’d already invested so much money and time into the area that they weren’t willing to budge. Their argument was that they were paying us to keep the actors safe and we’d proven that we could do the job so why move. But, they agreed to hire another security team to do perimeter security in the town itself when we were filming. 

We called Daniel and he called in a few favors and the new team had gotten here last night around midnight. Thankfully, though, the production team had agreed to speed up the filming so we’d be leaving the area in a week instead of two. And they’d agreed to find a new shooting location after we came back. But, the increased shooting schedule meant less time to see each other without everyone else there. 

I opened the envelope, pulled out two sheets of paper. One was from an airline, the other from a hotel. 

“Your reservations for the flight to Greece and our hotel. I decided to extend the reservation by a week since we’re getting done filming early. So we’re leaving the day after filming ends. We have a twenty-hour layover in LA. I figured you might want to pack a little more than what you brought with you for our vacation. Then we fly to Greece.”

“Three weeks,” I said, shuffling back and forth between the pieces of paper. “Just the two of us.”

“Yeah,” Alycia’s face fell. “Sorry, it was a little presumptuous of me to assume that you wanted to go with me. I didn’t even ask. If you don’t want to go, I can cancel the reservation.”

“No,” I reached out, touching her hand quickly so no one could see. “I want to go. I can’t wait to go. And three weeks of just you and me sounds incredible.”

She smiled. 

The breakfast room was filling up and I thought of something as Kim walked in. 

“Oh shit, I forgot that Kim and Mercedes were making travel plans. I should probably tell them.”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Alycia said. “I told them yesterday when I made the reservations. I said that you’d decided to go hang out with me so we could party in Greece together and then you didn’t have to be a total solo loser on the beach.”

“Ouch, my pride,” I feigned. “Do you think they suspected anything?”

“About what?” she asked, looked at me out of the corner of her eye. 

I cradled my coffee cup in both hands, watching the steam rise. “About us?”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No,” I shook my head. “Of course not. But we haven’t really had a chance to talk about whether or not you’re out, or whether you want to be. You have a lot more to lose in this than I do.”

“I don’t know,” Alycia shrugged. “As long as I still have you at the end of this, I consider it a win-win situation.”

“You’re still going to have me. And I support whatever decision you make.”

We had to end the conversation when Frank and Kim came over to sit down with us but I gave her a meaningful look that said we’d talk later. 

“Good to see both of you are back on speaking terms,” Frank said, winking at me.

“I was just having a rough couple of weeks and was taking it out on all the wrong people.”

“Things better with the ex?” Kim asked. 

I turned to look at Alycia. In the events of the last few days, I’d forgotten all about him. I’d heard through the grapevine that he’d been bugging her, but I didn’t know if that was the case anymore. 

“Not really,” Alycia said, answering Kim but looking at me. “In fact, I just got these this morning.”

She passed her phone to Kim who read the texts and shook her head. When she passed it back, I held out my hand. Alycia hesitated for a second and then handed the phone to me. I looked at the texts, almost a dozen of them. 

-You and I were meant to be together, Alycia.   
-You can’t shut me out.   
-I’m just going to keep texting you.  
-And keep calling you.  
-Eventually you’ll have to answer.   
-I can’t believe you’d do this to me you bitch.   
-Just wait until you’re back home.  
-We’re going to talk about this.   
-Fuck you.  
-I love you.  
-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten angry.   
-It just hurts me so much to know you’re upset with me. 

I heard a low growl form in the back of my throat and I swallowed it behind a cough.

“Want some help with this?”

“What could you do?” Alycia asked, sounding curious and scared at the same time. 

“Hey, Nick, I need you for a second.”

Nick came over, curious. I turned back to Alycia. 

“What time is it right now where he’s at? Do you think he’ll answer the phone?”

“It’s almost midnight. He’ll answer though. I guarantee it.”

I handed Nick the phone and let him read the text messages. 

“Ex-boyfriend?” he asked. 

Alycia nodded. 

Nick smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”

Nick was a gentle giant. I’d never known him to hurt a fly and I could attest to the fact that even his huge hands were delicate from when he’d stitched me up. But he also had a deep voice, like James Earl Jones and Morgan Freeman had a child. I’d seen him angry once in the time that I’d known him and it was something I’d never wanted to see again. Until now. 

He hit the call button and I heard a voice on the other end of the line pick up almost instantly. 

“Baby, I knew you’d come around.”

“Listen, shit-stain,” Nick growled into the phone. “If you don’t leave my girl alone, I’m going to reach through this phone and beat the teeth out of your head, do you understand? If you ever text her or call her, like one of her Tweets or even a fucking picture she’s in on Instagram, I will come to your house, kick down your goddamn door, and break every single bone in your body. What the fuck kind of half-grown man-child speaks to a woman like this and can’t get it through his thick skull that it’s over? If you ever, ever contact Alycia again, understand exactly what’s going to happen. Do you understand?”

I couldn’t hear what he said, but the voice that answered was shaken. Nick wasn’t even yelling. His voice was deadly calm, deep. On this side, I could see the twinkle in his eye, but anyone else listening would believe that this man could actually reach through the phone and carry out his promise. 

“Lose this fucking number, now.”

Nick hung up the phone and passed it back to Alycia, a grin on his face. Alycia was looking up at him, her mouth open in surprise. Kim and Frank had similar expressions and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Thanks,” Alycia breathed. “You’re kind of scary, you know that?”

“Only when I have to be,” he laughed. “Need anything else?”

I shook my head. “That should do it. You’re our hero.”

I turned back to Alycia as Nick walked away and she chuckled to herself and shoved her phone back into her pocket. 

“I should have come to you about this a long time ago. I don’t think he’s going to be giving me any more problems.”

“Yeah, you should have,” I said, giving her a knowing look. “But let me know if he contacts you again.”

“I don’t think that’s going to be an issue.”

“Look at you, badass. You’ve already got the girl. No reason to show off,” Frank whispered in my ear.

I was thankful that he knew enough to be quiet about it. I laughed and we finished our breakfast quickly. The van was leaving in a few minutes and we all needed to be on it. And now, I was excited and ready to get the next week out of the way. The opportunity to spend three whole weeks with Alycia, and just Alycia. I felt like a kid at Christmas. 

I drove the van to the set, happy to see that the new team had set up a checkpoint on the road. It didn’t block the flow of traffic, but it made it a little easier to keep track of who was coming and going. We unloaded the van near the set right at the edge of town. Part of the filming was taking place in town. Outside street shots, transitions to and from buildings, some filler scenes of zombies roaming through the deserted streets. And part of it was taking place in the desert. 

By setting up the shots facing away from town, it made it look like the cast was in the middle of a vast Mexican wasteland. The last week of filming was made up of a lot of shorter shots, a few action sequences, a few night shoots in the desert, one of a fantastic shot where the zombies poured over a nearby sand dune and bore down on a spot where Mercedes and Alycia’s characters were hiding.

That first day was a long one, and it was almost midnight by the time Alycia and I finally got the chance to be alone, back in her hotel room after everyone else had gone to bed. I shut the door behind me as we walked inside and when I turned, Alycia fell into my arms, wrapping hers around me, pressing her body against mine. Her lips found mine quickly and we kissed desperately for a few minutes.

She pressed me back against the door, pushing against me with a fire that I hadn’t felt before. I tangled one hand in her hair, the other at her lower back, pulling her against me. I pushed aside the soft cotton hem of her t-shirt so I could feel the smooth, warm skin of her back against my palm. She sighed into my mouth as my skin made contact with hers. 

Finally, she pulled away, breathing hard. “I’ve wanted to do that all day,” she panted. 

“I have no objections,” I said, still a little surprised. I was used to having some measure of control in most of my relationships but this woman made my head spin like a teenager doing all this for the first time.

“But you’re right about self-control. Just one more week.”

“It’s going to be a long week,” I moaned and lowered myself into the desk chair, fully aware that sitting on the bed was not an option if we wanted to keep our clothes on.

“So, about our conversation earlier today,” Alycia started, walking into the bathroom and grabbing a brush. 

I watched it run through her hair, long, silky, curly, and it escaped the brush and cascaded onto her shoulders. I could be distracted by the most simple things she did and it was an intoxicating feeling. I couldn’t wait to see it on bare shoulders.

“I’m here to listen, whatever decision you make.”

“I knew I was bi when I was five,” Alycia laughed. “I had a crush on a girl in pre-school apparently. My mom likes to laugh about it and joke about it, but I don’t think she knows the truth. None of my family really knows. A few of my friends do. Close ones. 

“I want to come out, though. On my terms. I know what that’ll mean but I’ve spent a lot of my life not dating women, especially once I was in the public eye and people with cameras started following me around. But I think I’m ready, Kat. I feel like we can get through whatever happens together.”

“Then we do this at your pace, alright. But, before you make that decision, I need to tell my team, and Daniel, what’s going on.”

Alycia nodded. “I agree. Let’s wait until after Greece. I want you all to myself for a little while.”

I grinned, stood up. “I can definitely handle that.”

“Do you have to leave?”

“Not if you want me to stay,” I said, taking a step toward her. “And if we can be sure that all we’re going to do tonight is sleep.”

“You never let me have any fun,” she said, pitching her voice so that it was low and sexy in her throat and throwing me a look with those piercing green eyes that made me go weak in the knees. 

“You’re certainly not making this easy,” I said, amazed at the effect she was having on me.

“Sorry,” she laughed, very clearly not sorry. “But I promise, I’ll be good. I’d just really like to have you close to me.”

I nodded. “Let me run back to my room, brush my teeth and get changed. I’ll be back in five minutes.”

Sure enough, I was, probably with time to spare. I’d nearly tripped half a dozen times trying to get undressed and then redressed while brushing my teeth. I came back in wearing sweats and a t-shirt. I normally slept in my underwear, or just boxer shorts, but I questioned both our ability to maintain self-control unless we were fully dressed. 

Alycia seemed to have the same idea. She was wearing shorts and a tank top, with more skin showing than I’d ever seen before, but the woman would be sexy in ski pants and a parka so I was getting very used to taking deep breaths and thinking before acting. I laid down in the bed, feeling giddy, butterflies in my stomach. I hadn’t felt like that in a long time. 

Alycia turned off the light. I saw the hesitation in her body language when she turned but it quickly passed and soon she was climbing into bed next to me. She paused for a moment, careful to stay on her side of the bed. I could see the question in her eyes and I reached out, pulled her close to me.   
We kissed. I felt the burn of her lips on mine and this time, the press of her skin was almost irresistible. I could feel her arms on mine, our feet tangling under the covers. Thankfully, we both pulled away at the same time, gasping for air. We laughed as we laid back on the bed and this time, when she lay back, her head rested on my chest and I wrapped an arm around her. 

“I didn’t realize I was taking a vow of celibacy for the first week we were seeing each other.”

“Is it really celibacy if we’re making out every chance we get?”

Alycia chuckled. “I guess not. But this is tough.”

“Have you ever been with a woman before?” I asked, surprised that I was being so blunt, but I also wanted to know. 

“Not since I was sixteen,” Alycia answered, shyly.

“Are you nervous about us being together?”

She paused for a moment, thinking. “Incredibly,” she finally admitted. 

“And that’s why we need to take it slow,” I argued. “I don’t want you to regret anything, especially us not taking our time.”

“You make a compelling argument,” she sighed. 

“Well right now, let me compel you towards sleep. Both of us are tired and our alarm’s going to go off sooner rather than later.”

She nodded, kissed me again, slowly and softly, breaking away before the tension could build too much, then snuggled back against my chest.

I was able to keep my eyes open until she fell asleep, listening to the gentle whisper of her breath, feeling my heart beating against her palm as it rested on my chest. With a contented sigh, I closed my eyes and drifted off.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A layover in LA leads to a fun morning as Kat and Alycia learn more about each other.

Chapter 10

The plane touched down in Los Angeles about half an hour early thanks to a strong tail wind. Alycia grabbed my hand as the wheels bounced, squeezing my hand and smiling at me. We were at the beginning of a wonderful vacation. But first, a long layover in LA. 

We got off the plane and followed the crowd into the airport. I used my phone to order a Lyft and by the time we made it through customs and to the entrance of the terminal, the car was waiting for us. Alycia had wanted to stay pretty incognito so she was wearing her hair up in a messy ponytail, tucked under a baseball cap, and large sunglasses. She still looked beautiful.

The car took us to my apartment. I’d called yesterday and told Dan, one of my roommates, that I’d be back. He said he was gone for the weekend to see his folks in San Francisco and Christy, our other roommate, was staying with her boyfriend. That meant that Alycia and I would have the apartment to ourselves. When I’d told her this, she had an expression on her face that I couldn’t quite read. I decided not to press the issue. We’d been on set and other people were around. 

After the rest of the team found out I’d be going on a vacation with Alycia, they’d bugged me to tell them if we were more than friends. I refused to say anything, though. When Alycia wanted to come out and make our relationship public, I’d tell them. Until then, my mouth was shut. Sam gave me a knowing look, though. She knew me better than the rest of them and at one point in time had been the object of my affection. They’d left on a late flight our last night of shooting. The rest of the cast had wanted to get out as soon as possible. Mercedes, Frank, and Kim had left the day before, the rest of us had left yesterday.

Again, for some silly reason, we’d flown to Mexico City and with the layover, we were just getting into LA at 9:30am. Our flight to Greece was leaving at six the following morning so we had quite a bit of time to ourselves. 

As we walked up the steps to the apartment, my stomach growled, reminding me that we should spend at least a little of our layover getting food. I dug the keys out of the very bottom of my backpack where they’d ended up since I hadn’t needed them for the past nine weeks. I unlocked the door, then paused. 

“I have to warn you,” I said, turning to Alycia. “I haven’t been home in nine weeks. I have no idea what’s going to be behind this door. I apologize if my roommates live like animals and there may be unidentifiable items that were at one point in time food.”

Alycia grinned. “I’ve had plenty of roommates. Don’t worry about it.”

I was still worried though, when I pushed open the door. Surprisingly, it wasn’t bad. The living room and kitchen were normally the worst since that’s where we all spent most of our time. It wasn’t uncommon for the sink to be overflowing with dishes, the trash needing to be taken out, and at least a couple dozen empty cans, bottles, and cups scattered everywhere. Thankfully, it actually looked pretty nice. The living room had a sofa and two comfy chairs, a big TV that we’d all gone in on, though Dan had put in a little more since he wanted something to play video games on and knew he’d be the main one using it, and a bookcase that I’d taken over all of but the top shelf. 

The kitchen had a round table with four chairs around it, a microwave that got used much more often than the stove, and a toaster. We didn’t cook much since all three of us worked pretty busy schedules and weird hours. Dan was a writer who preferred to do most of his work in the evening and late at night. He’d spent six months working a day job once as a staff writer for a TV show and it had been weird to see him in daylight. Christy worked in real estate and it wasn’t uncommon for her to show condos and houses in the evening or on the weekends when people were off work. Thankfully, though, it looked like both of them had cleaned up. 

There was a basket sitting on the kitchen table with a note taped to it. I walked over and opened the note:

Happy to have you home, roomie. Sad to hear you’re leaving us for another three weeks and we won’t get to catch up but have a blast in Greece (you lucky, bitch) and bring us something good.

Inside the basket were all kinds of snacks, a six pack of IPA, and a paperback travel guide to Greece. I laughed, grabbed out a can of Pringles, and popped the top. 

“How do you feel about IPA?” I asked, pulling a can out of the basket. 

Alycia made a face and I laughed again. 

“We should have a bottle of red around here somewhere.”

“At ten in the morning?” she asked. 

“Do you have anything better to do?”

She paused for a moment, thinking. Finally, she shook her head and I continued the search for wine. We kept our alcohol in a lower cabinet after Dan had drunkenly broken three bottles trying to get tequila out of the back. Sure enough, when I opened the cabinet there were several bottles of wine. I pulled one out, pulled the cork, and poured some into a plastic cup I’d been given for free at last year’s Pride parade. Alycia took the glass from me and took a long drink while I opened my beer and did the same. 

“I’ve never seen you drink before,” she said. 

“I don’t drink on the job. A personal choice.”

“Even on your days off?”

I nodded. “I don’t really get days off. Like, I know there were days we weren’t filming and times you were back at the hotel and I could have gone out, but if anything had happened, I would have been expected to come back and not be completely wasted.”

“Fair enough,” Alycia nodded. “It makes sense.”

We stood around the kitchen for a few minutes, munching on potato chips and drinking. It was a hell of a way to spend a morning with a beautiful woman and I could definitely get used to the idea. Finally, I jerked my head toward my bedroom door and Alycia followed me. 

I opened the door and walked inside. It wasn’t much, but it was home, and I was surprisingly happy to be back. I dumped my backpack near the bed. 

“Make yourself at home,” I said. “I’m going to go shove some clothes in the laundry so I don’t have to do it when I get back.”

I took the contents of my backpack to the laundry room in the back, happy that it was empty. It wasn’t uncommon that we were folding each other’s clothes. When I came back, Alycia was sitting in my chair, looking at the stack of paperbacks resting on my desk. 

“I love how much you read,” she said, quietly, almost contemplatively.

“Why’s that?” I asked. 

“I just do. I’ve always loved reading. I’ve never actually been with anyone who really understood the passion of a good book.”

I started packing while Alycia looked around the rest of the room. I had a small suitcase in the back of my closet and between that and the backpack, I figured I’d be able to pack enough for the three weeks, especially since I’d be wearing a lot of shorts and t-shirts. Alycia watched me, curiously. I looked up at her and smiled. 

“What?”

“Normally, you can tell a lot about a person by what’s in their room. You’re still a mystery.”  
“I might be a mystery but I’m an open book. So ask anything you want. I think you can tell a lot about me by my room, though.”

“How so?”

I opened my closet door and gestured to my clothes hanging inside. “Lots of jeans and cargo pants. Obvious lesbian.”

She laughed. 

“The books stacked everywhere. That one’s pretty obvious. I hate reading. They’re just decorative. The Marine Corps flag. Big Full Metal Jacket fan. Mattress on the floor with no bed frame. I’m clearly a sixteen year old boy.”

Alycia grinned. “See what I mean. It doesn’t tell your story.”

“But it kind of does,” I said, leaning against the wall next to the closet. “I spent most of my adult life living in barracks, never there for more than a year at a time before I got deployed or sent to another base. I don’t know how to put down roots. I don’t collect things. I don’t find sentimental value in stuff. But I love to read. I find connection important so I have a computer so I can keep in touch through Skype and Facebook with old friends. I don’t sleep much and I don’t often have people over who share my bed so I don’t need anything special. I travel a lot so I’ve learned to pack light and live light. I think it’s pretty self-explanatory.”

“Do you think you’ll ever put down roots?”

“Yeah,” I nodded. “I’d love to someday have a place to call mine. A house that I live in for longer than two years at a time. Even if I travel, it’d be nice to have a home base. Somewhere that I can decorate, places where I can put stuff and I won’t have to repack it anytime soon. Eventually, I’ll get there.”

“Sometimes I wish the same thing. I mean, sure, I have my old room in my old house that still looks like I’m a teenager. But I travel ten months out of the year, or I’m on set shooting somewhere. I’ve had an apartment in LA a couple times, once in Vancouver. But that’s it.”

I walked over to Alycia and extended my hand to her. She took it and I pulled her to her feet, wrapping my arms around her waist and holding her close. 

“If you could have your dream house, what would it look like?”

She paused for a minute, thinking. “It would be in a small town somewhere, maybe an hour drive to the city so I could get the best of both worlds. Something within walking distance to a farmer’s market so I could get fresh flowers every week. It would be older, with some real personality. I’d have a cat and a library with built-in bookcases and a big kitchen so I could drink a lot of tea and lean against the island and pretend like I know how to cook.”

I smiled while I listened to her list the details of a future life. Deep inside, I hoped she’d get to experience that someday. “Well, if you ever need a cook, I can make a mean spaghetti.”

Alycia pulled her head back and looked up at me. “What makes you think you won’t be in my future anyway, even without the cooking skills?”

I shrugged and took a step back. “I don’t know. Maybe I still think you’re going to wake up one morning and realize that you’re way out of my league and you deserve better.”

She reached out and smacked me on the shoulder. “Well, stop it. You’re amazing. I thought Marines were supposed to be confident.”

“I am confident. I’m also cocky and occasionally an asshole. I check all the boxes. But you’re pretty wonderful and I still can’t believe how lucky I am. Give me some time to get used to the idea.”

Alycia smiled, turned back to the desk and ran her hand along the top of a paperback copy of Stephen King’s The Stand. I went back to the closet and started shoving more things into my suitcase.

“I don’t want to have sex,” Alycia blurted out suddenly. 

I stood, dropping my sandals on the floor. “So much for that confidence I just had.”

Alycia laughed, blushing. “Sorry. I don’t mean ever. I just mean right now.”

“Right now like, this literal second so we can have sex in five minutes, or right now like, a month or two from now we can revisit the topic.”

“Neither, silly. I want our first time to be in Greece.”

“Have you ever had sex with a woman before?”

“Once. I was sixteen and it lasted for about three minutes and neither of us knew what we were doing so we just kind of took care of ourselves.”

It was hard for me not to laugh. Her description pretty much mirrored my first time, only I’d been thirteen and the other girl stuck her finger in my ear about halfway through because she said her big brother had told her that women found that to be a turn on. 

“I don’t want you to put a lot of pressure on yourself, or me for that matter,” I grinned. “I might not meet your expectations.”

Alycia smiled, shyly. “I’ve been on the receiving end of your kisses,” she said. “I think you’ll exceed my expectations.”

I closed the distance between us quickly, cupping the back of her head with my hand and pulling her in close, trapping her lips beneath mine. The kiss was warm and wet and there was desperation in it, knowing that we were getting closer and closer to the one thing that both of us wanted. I pushed her back until she hit the edge of my desk and then I picked her up and sat her on the top of it, knocking books onto the floor. 

She gasped against my mouth as I lifted her, one hand on each thigh, and sat her down on the desk. I smiled and kissed her again. Sitting on the desk she was several inches taller than me but my experience allowed me to maintain the upper hand. She clutched my shirt with one hand, pulling it and exposing the skin of my lower back which she stroked with her other hand. I pushed up her shirt and grabbed both hips, trying to keep from moaning at the feel of her hot, soft skin beneath my hands. I had this almost uncontrollable desire to keep moving up, trailing my hands across her stomach, up her ribs, to grasp her beautiful, perfect breasts. Somehow, through, I was able to resist. 

Alycia pulled away from our kiss, breathing hard, staring at me with a look of shock on her face. 

“You’re really strong,” she said. 

I laughed. “Those push-ups paid off, I guess.”

She grinned at me, her cheeks flushed. “I can’t wait to see all your skills.”

I stepped back and helped her hop off the desk. 

“We’ll have plenty of time for that. For now, I need to finish doing the laundry and packing, and then we need to decide what we want to do next.”

The rest of the morning and afternoon passed quickly. We were tired but neither of us wanted to sleep. We had another drink. I finished my laundry and finished packing. Then we walked to my favorite Mexican restaurant down the street and had tacos and margaritas. Finally, we cuddled on the couch, watching Netflix and eating goodies from our snack basket until it was time to go to bed. We fell asleep, Alycia’s head on my chest, my arm wrapped around her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all have enjoyed this journey so far. The next chapter is my special thank you to each and every one of you who has stuck with it and grown to love these characters as much as I have.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alycia and Kat finally get some time alone.

Chapter 11

The alarm rang much too early the next morning and we both crawled out of bed, which is easy to do when the bed’s on the floor. We took turns showering. I didn’t trust myself to maintain self-control at the sight of Alycia wet, soapy, and naked. It took us less than half an hour to get ready since Alycia chose to forgo makeup and just pulled her hair back in a messy ponytail. I gave her a kiss on the cheek as we stood in the kitchen drinking coffee and waiting for our Lyft. 

“You look beautiful,” I said, and meant it. 

She gave me a sleepy smile. I rinsed our coffee mugs, locked the door behind us, and we made it to the airport and through security with plenty of time to spare. We bought breakfast and coffee at the Starbucks in the terminal and then went through to the United lounge. Alycia flew first class and I’d gotten the benefit of getting to as well, which I certainly wasn’t going to complain about. She said she earned a lot more points flying first class and regularly got free flights. She also liked the anonymity offered by the airline lounge, which was almost deserted at this time of the morning save for a few people in business dress already typing feverishly on their laptops. 

We ate our breakfast, relaxed, talked. I felt more at ease with Alycia than I’d ever felt with anyone. Our conversation flowed easily. She was always paying attention, always attentive. Even her body language made me fall for her a little more every moment we were together. She’d sit forward, normally cupping her chin with one hand, watching me, listening to me. She never interrupted unless it was something she was passionate about and then the words tumbled out with such unrestrained joy that I couldn’t help but smile at her. 

Our flight boarded early in the morning when the sun was just starting to come up over the horizon and reach its pink fingers across the sky. The plane was huge, bigger than I’d ever ridden on. We were flying from LA to Frankfurt and then from Frankfurt to Athens where we’d take a shuttle to the port of Piraeus and a ferry to Santorini. I knew that I needed to get some sleep between this flight and the next one. We were supposed to get into Athens sometime in the afternoon and the shuttle took just over an hour and the ferry took just under six so it was going to be a long day of travel after three long days of travel. 

That being said, I was also like a little kid in a candy shop with my first experience in first class. Alycia grinned the whole time we were sitting down. I must have been looking around with an innocent and wide-eyed expression on my face. The seats were widely spaced, offering you the ability to lay flat if you wanted, with TV screens and on each seat a little black bag of goodies like an eye mask, lotion, socks, headphones. Even before we took off, a flight attendant came around and offered us tall glasses of fresh orange juice. 

Alycia winked at me. “You might just keep me around with the first class treatment, huh.”

I grew serious, a dark feeling in the pit of my stomach. I leaned towards her. “You know this isn’t about that, right?” I asked. “I’d be with you even if we were flying economy to go visit Kentucky. I’m with you because I want to be. I don’t ever want you to think I’m with you because of financial benefits.”

Alycia smiled at me. She reached out and gently brushed my cheek. “I know you’re not. I never doubted your intentions for an instant, Kat. It’s just a fringe benefit of dating an actress. When I have my midlife crisis and decide I want to adopt puppies for a living, it’ll be up to you to support us.”

“Huh,” I leaned back in my seat. “How do you feel about trailer parks and Ramen noodles?”

“With you?” she asked. “Sounds great.”

“But to address another topic. We’re dating now? Could you let me know when that started so I don’t miss our anniversary next year.”

Alycia laughed and we both turned our attention to the overhead safety information that a nasally flight attendant was rattling off. 

The flight was long but it went quickly. I watched a couple movies, ate some food that would have been considered really good in a restaurant, much less an airplane, and got some sleep. We switched to business class after our two hour layover in Frankfurt but it was still roomy and comfortable and I slept for a couple more hours until we got to Athens. 

The airport was busy. A melting pot of languages and cultures and it wasn’t until we were in the shuttle driving for the port that I really felt like I was in Greece. I could see the crumbling Parthenon rising high above the city. 

The ferry was surprisingly quick. It took just about five hours and I heard the conversation of someone nearby saying that the regular ferries could take more than twelve hours and I was glad that Alycia had found us tickets on the high-speed option. In the distance, I could see the island of Santorini rising up to meet us. The Island was smaller than I’d expected. Though, I’m not sure why I’d expected much of anything given that I really had a limited experience with any kind of islands. 

It was a twenty-five minute drive from where the ferry dropped us off at the port in Thira to the Perivolas hotel. It was late in the evening and we were both ready for a hot shower and some cool sheets. We could feel the warm, humid air through the open windows of the black car that the hotel had sent to pick us up. Even this late, with the sun sinking low and the moon high in the sky, in the inky darkness of twilight, the hotel looked like something out of a magazine. The walls were smooth, white stone. I could see pools, terraces, padded reclining chairs and small tables. I must have been gaping, open-mouthed and entranced by the sight, because Alycia had to tap me on the shoulder to bring me back to reality when we pulled up to the hotel. 

We skipped the check-in. The driver must have called on the way there to tell them that we’d arrived. Instead, we were taken straight to our room, down a winding path, climbing several flights of stairs and going down others. We passed an infinity pool with breathtakingly blue water, even in the muted light. 

“We have you in a deluxe suite with a jacuzzi, yes?” the porter asked as he showed us to the hotel. 

“That’s right,” Alycia nodded. 

I looked at her sideways, raising my eyebrows in her direction. A jacuzzi, huh. It was going to be a good night.

“Excellent. And I know it’s been a long night of travel so the chef has prepared something special for you. It should arrive in your room shortly now that you’re here. There is also a room service menu if you need anything else.”

He stopped at a wooden door and opened it with a key card. It was a little shocking to see new technology in a place that seemed so out of modern time, like maybe we’d been transported back to Ancient Greece. He opened the door, reached inside to turn on the light, and let us step inside. 

The room was breathtaking. It looked like tiny caves had been carved out of the rock, creating a beehive of little cells and rooms. There was a bed, built into the bright, white stone with bright pink sheets. Several low, carved sitting areas with brightly colored cushions. The bathroom was breathtaking with a large, deep bath tub on a raised dais and a big shower carved out of the same stone. There were twin glass doors leading to the terrace and a deep jacuzzi flush with the stone floor. There was also a closet tucked into one corner with two fluffy white robes waiting for us. 

“Please enjoy,” the porter said, dropping off our bags in the bedroom and then exiting the room. 

“This is amazing,” I said, still glancing around the room, wide-eyed. 

“It’s better than I ever could have imagined,” Alycia breathed. 

“We have to wait for them to bring our food though, right?”

“Wait for what?” she asked, then turned and saw the look on my face and understanding dawned. “Oh, that. Yeah, we should probably wait. Don’t want to scar the hotel staff on our first night here.”

“Then I’m going to go walk outside and get some fresh air.”

“I’ll join you shortly,” Alycia said, already starting to unpack. 

The view was incredible. We were overlooking the ocean, its crystal clear blue water reflecting the moon on its shimmering surface. I got lost out there. I never, for a second, thought that this would be my life. Even my wildest daydreams couldn’t have created a scenario where I was in Greece, in a suite with a hot tub, with the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen in my life. Someone who I could probably call my girlfriend. Someone who I was going to get to fall asleep with in my arms. I almost missed the knock on the door and had to pull myself back to reality. 

I opened the door and a woman was standing there, carrying a covered tray. I stepped out of the way and she set up the tray on the small table out on the terrace. There was grilled octopus and shrimp wrapped in pastry, a cheese tray with meats and cheeses and a basket of different breads, a bottle of white wine, and a beautiful tray of fresh fruits. I saw figs and cherries, a peach sliced in a pool of sticky honey, a bunch of grapes, and big pieces of bright pink watermelon. My mouth was watering at the site. 

Alycia joined me on the terrace a few moments later and my jaw dropped. She had changed from the oversized sweater and jeans that she had worn on the plane into a red satin slip with a plunging neckline that only came down to the middle of her thigh. She had a black silky robe over it, but the robe was sheer and lacy and it left very little to the imagination. I had to remind myself to breathe. 

Her hair was down, falling in thick waves down her shoulders and she smiled shyly at me as she took in my expression. I blinked, trying to remind myself that it was rude to stare but unable to do anything else. Finally, I was able to gasp a response. 

“Holy shit.”

“You like it?”

“I don’t think like even begins to cover it. I’m not certain I’m going to be able to focus on my food.”

“That’s alright,” Alycia smiled, walking over to the table and pouring us each a glass of wine. “We won’t spend much time on dinner. I’d like to get to dessert.”

I grinned, feeling butterflies in my stomach. This girl sure knew how to press all the right buttons. 

We sat down to eat and with every bite, my eyes traced the long, graceful curve of her neck, the gentle slope of her shoulder, the sharp edges of her jaw and cheekbones. Finally, a glass and a half of wine in, I’d had enough. I pushed my chair back, stood up, and took Alycia’s hand. She looked at me curiously but I pulled her into the room, shutting the terrace doors behind us. I led her to the bed and pushed her gently down so that she was sitting on the edge, then went around turning off lights so that only one gentle lamp was casting its glow across the bedroom. 

I knelt down before her, running my hand along her smooth calf, up to her thigh. I stopped when I reached the edge of her slip. I could hear her breathing speed up and I gently kissed the inside of her knee. I looked up, meeting her bright green eyes in the darkness of the room. 

“If I do anything that makes you uncomfortable, tell me to stop. If I do anything you don’t want to do, tell me to stop. And if there’s anything you want me to do that I’m not doing, tell me what it is. Alright?”

Alycia nodded. 

“I want to hear you say that you will.”

“I will.”

I stood up and kissed her, hard. Months of feelings and emotions spilled out between us. She wrapped her arms around my neck and I picked her up and pulled her across the bed so that her head was on a pillow. We kissed like that for several minutes and I pushed aside the fabric of her robe, trailing kisses down her neck and shoulders. I heard the moan in her throat and it made my heart skip a beat. I had to remind myself to go slow when all I wanted to do was rip off her clothes, but I didn’t want this to be over quickly. I wanted her to remember every moment. 

I kissed down her stomach on the outside of her slip, feeling the silky cloth beneath my lips. I pulled up the edge of it slowly and with each inch of her thigh that I exposed, my lips made their wet mark on her skin. I gasped when I exposed the tiny, black lace panties that barely covered her and again had to exercise as much self-control as I could to not tear them off with my bare hands and take her right there. 

Instead, I pulled off my own shirt, my bra following closely behind it as they both were tossed to the floor. I knelt on the bed next to Alycia, allowing her eyes to examine my body. Normally, I would have felt self-conscious. But she made me feel everything but. She smiled. 

“I didn’t know you had tattoos.”

I smiled. “When I was in the Marines, they had pretty strict regulations about ink. I had to get everything where you couldn’t see it in PT clothes. I’d like to get more someday.”

Alycia reached up, running her fingers across the dark, black lines of a prowling wolf on my right side. I gasped as her fingers touched me, burning their way across my ribs. I couldn’t hold on any longer. I pulled her up so I could push off her robe and then I pulled off her slip. 

Her body was beautiful, every inch of it even more amazing than I’d ever imagined even in the loneliest nights I’d spent in Mexico with nothing but thoughts of her in my brain. I quickly pulled off my pants and soon we were both equally naked in nothing but our underwear. I pulled her close, feeling her bare skin against mine and we kissed again. I gently lowered her back so that she was lying down and I was on my side next to her, still pressed against her body. 

While we kissed, my hand trailed from her shoulder, between her breasts, to her stomach. I ran my fingers across its surface, enjoying the ripple of muscles I felt as she twitched beneath me. She kissed me harder, darting her tongue between my lips, pulling me in tightly with one hand on the back of my head. I let my hand wander back up, squeezing her breasts, gently pinching her nipples. She gasped, breaking away from our kiss, her body arching against the bed. 

I watched her beneath me, smiling. As soon as she relaxed, I resumed kissing her. I found her hand with my own and pulled it around to me, placing her hand on my own breast and encouraging her to squeeze it. She did, and a jolt of electricity ran through my body, curling my toes. I broke our kiss, panting like I’d just run a marathon. 

“Are you alright?” I asked, needing a moment for myself to calm down just as much as I wanted to check on her.

“I’m amazing,” she breathed. 

I grinned down at her. “Yeah you are.”

We kissed again and I ran my index finger under the hem of her panties, barely grazing the sensitive skin just hidden beneath them. She gasped again and I was starting to enjoy the little involuntary sounds she was making beneath my fingers and my mouth. I made the same movement and was rewarded with another noise, this one a needy whimper in the back of her throat.

“Please,” she begged. “Don’t make me wait anymore. I need you.”

And I obliged. How could I resist a request like that? I slid my hand under the piece of black lace and felt her beneath my fingers. She was wet and hot and I felt my head spin just touching her. 

Alycia moaned, arching her back again and I kissed her collarbone hard, nibbling my way along it as my fingers explored her below. I rubbed her gently, teasing her with my fingertips, then harder. Her breath started keeping pace with my fingers, fast breaths. I kissed her lips gently.

“Remember to breath, beautiful. I can’t have you passing out on me.” 

She smiled and took a deep breath. “I can’t make any promises. You feel amazing.”

I kissed her forehead. “If you think that’s good. Just wait.”

Slowly, carefully, I slid a finger inside her. She welcomed me, wet and warm and tight around me. I moaned into her neck then kissed her gently. She reached for my head with one hand, leading me back to her mouth. She was hungry with want and desire and I felt myself getting lost in the feel of her.

When she came, it was strong and hard. She grabbed my wrist and pulled me into her, grinding against my hand. I held her tightly while she lost control, kissing her gently as her body relaxed. She sighed softly and pushed her head back into the pillow. When I looked up at her, I saw that she had tears in her eyes and I gently kissed them away as they rolled down her cheeks. 

“Are you alright?” I asked, whispering into the dark room, afraid that too much noise might break the spell and bring us back to reality. 

“That was amazing,” she breathed. “I’m not going to lie. I’ve thought about it a lot and my dreams never came close.”

“I was thinking the same thing, actually.” 

I slowly pulled my finger from her, enjoying the feel of her tightening down around me like she never wanted me to leave. I wiped my hand on the edge of the bed, kicking myself for not having the foresight to bring a towel. 

“I’m glad that met your expectations, though.”

“Exceeded them. But I think it’s my turn now.”

“You know you don’t have to,” I said. “If you’re uncomfortable with anything.”

“You don’t want me to?” Her face fell. 

“Fuck yes I do,” I said, more strongly than I’d intended to. “But I also know that this is kind of your first time and I don’t want to push any limits.” 

Alycia put her hand on my chest and with a surprisingly strong shove, flipped me onto my back. She rolled with me, straddling my hips and pinning my shoulders to the bed so that she was leaning over me. 

“Stop thinking so much. I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.” 

“Yes, ma’am,” I grinned. 

She swallowed my grin with her lips, kissing me hard. I felt her grinding against me, her wetness soaking through the underwear that I was still wearing. She lifted herself off my hips long enough to strip them off of me and when she lowered herself back down I nearly lost it right there. I grabbed her hips, digging my fingertips into her soft skin. Alycia just grinned, refusing to let me change her slow rhythm. It was torture but I bore it because she was worth it. 

She slipped a hand between us and I groaned, moving my hands down to her thighs to get a better grip on her. I could feel her fingers teasing me, rubbing against me. I felt like I could barely breathe. The feeling was amazing. She bent down to kiss me, her breasts rubbing across my chest, lighting a fire in me that I hadn’t felt in a long time. She kissed my lips, hard, pushing her tongue past my lips and into my mouth. Then she moved down, kissing my shoulders, my neck. 

Her hand moved again and now she was inside me. I tightened around her finger, my breath coming in short, ragged gasps as she moved, faster now. I leapt over the edge, my vision blurring as I came. I dug my nails into her thigh and she gasped at the sensation and finally, when my body relaxed and I took control of it once more, there were little crescent-shaped marks in her skin when I moved my hand. 

Alycia laid down on the bed beside me, lazily trailing her hand across my chest. “Not too bad for a first-timer.”

“Fucking amazing,” I gasped. 

She laughed and we lay there together in companionable silence, each enjoying the other’s company. 

“What are you thinking about?” I asked, when my heart rate had returned to a relatively normal pace.

Alicia paused for a moment, thinking. I noticed that she often did this. Her responses were always calculated. She didn’t just like to speak without knowing what she was going to say. “I’m thinking about all the different places around here we can have sex.”

I laughed and turned towards her, sitting up on my elbow so that I was looking down at her. 

“I’ve created a monster, haven’t I?”

She grinned up at me. “You’d better hope you’re in good enough shape to keep up.”

I leaned down and kissed her, hard. It was an invitation and she responded by sliding her arm around me and pulling me down, close to her. I pulled away for a second, gently kissing the lobe of one ear, her neck, her shoulder. 

“I think I’ll be alright,” I breathed as I moved down to her breast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all are enjoying the story so far. I'm going to take a short break and will pick up with Chapter 12 in a week or two.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alycia and Kat wake up to a new reality after their first night together.

Chapter 12

Fingers of sunlight stretched across the bed, falling on Alycia’s face where it rested on my chest. Her hair cascaded down her shoulder and tickled my stomach. I tried not to move. I didn’t want to ruin the moment. I wanted to live here forever. The night had been passion, full of exploration, our bodies tangled with the sheets. The sun had been peeking over the horizon by the time we finally fell asleep.

I could hear birds shrieking, the crash of waves against the rocks below. I tried to keep my breathing smooth and even, but she must have felt a difference because a few moments later her eyes fluttered open. She sighed sleepily and stretched and I gently kissed her forehead. 

“Good morning, beautiful.”

Alycia smiled. I shivered slightly as her hand grazed my stomach and goosebumps popped up on my skin. Alycia’s smile widened when she saw my reaction. 

“So what is our plan today?” she teased, gently dragging her fingernails across my thigh.

“Anything you want,” I gasped quietly. “But, I vote that we get some breakfast, first.”

Alycia turned over and grabbed the phone. She ordered breakfast while I climbed out of bed and wrapped myself in a robe. I went out on the terrace and felt the warmth of the sun wash over my body. I could feel the memories of the night before on my skin. I looked out over the jagged brown and gray rocks, the smooth white stones of hotels and homes along the cliff side, the crystal turquoise waters of the sea below us. I still couldn’t entirely believe that this was my life. 

It felt even more like a dream when Alycia walked up behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist, pulling me back against her. She gently kissed my earlobe, my neck, the back of my shoulder and she slipped my robe down slightly to expose more skin. I’d been exposed to a side of Alycia that I’d never really known existed last night. I’d seen her confidence, her self-assuredness, but last night, I saw her passion, her fire, her ability to take control, even when she wasn’t entirely certain. 

When I’d mentioned it, she’d pulled back and I saw her eyes shining in the darkness. 

“I trust you, completely. I know I’m safe with you. I feel like I can let my guard down,” she had said.

The memory of those words would keep my heart full for a long time. 

“You’re doing it again,” she whispered. 

I looked back over my shoulder. “Doing what?”

“You’re back in bodyguard mode. I see you scanning.”

I laughed. “Sorry, I don’t even notice I’m doing it.”

She grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the railing. “You’re here on vacation, not in an official capacity. There are police officers here for that.”

“Yes ma’am,” I nodded, determined to do a better job at being present for her and with her, but also aware that it was hard work to break years of habits.

We sat together on a low couch, tangled together, enjoying the feel of each other’s skin beneath the thin cloth of our robe. Alycia groaned low in the back of her throat when there was a knock on the door. I chuckled softly, pushing her gently off me, and opened the door. 

The porter set up the food on the terrace table again and Alycia and I enjoyed breakfast together. When we’d finished, I leaned back to enjoy the view of the water. I’d never seen anything so clear and blue outside of a photograph. It seemed unreal. I almost didn’t notice Alycia stand up and walk into the room, but when I turned and saw her robe drop to the floor, I started paying much closer attention.

She turned and looked at me over her bare shoulder, the look on her face both inviting and mischievous and it made my heart skip a beat. I quickly followed her, catching up to her before she reached the bathroom door. I had shed my own robe at some point and when I scooped her up in my arms and carried her, despite her protests, into the bathroom, I enjoyed the feeling of her skin against my own. I sat her down on the edge of the bathroom counter, silencing her protests with a hard kiss. 

“Stay,” I ordered, placing a finger over her lips when she tried to object. 

I turned around and turned on the shower, making sure the water was just right before walking back up to Alycia and picking her back up. Her legs wrapped around my hips and held me tightly. I grinned and walked her to the shower. There was a seat on one wall of the shower and I sat her down on it, kneeling in front of her. 

I gently kissed the inside of both her knees, then traced swirls on the inside of her thigh with my finger. Alycia shivered despite the warm water. 

“You know,” she moaned. “I’ve never had sex in the shower.”

I smiled, trailing gentle kisses up her thighs. “Have you ever wanted to?”

She nodded. 

“And what did you want to do?”

“Everything,” Alycia said, looking a little embarrassed. 

I reached up and kissed her gently on the cheek. “Don’t be shy. After what we did last night,” I grinned. 

Alycia leaned her head back against the stone wall of the shower and sighed happily. “I’ve always thought it would be interesting to have sex from behind in a shower, cool glass on one side, hot water on the other. The two sensations could be pretty amazing.”

I grinned, settling back down between her legs. “I think that sounds like an excellent idea. But let me get you warmed up first.”

“With you in my life, I’ll be in a constant state of ‘warmed up’,” Alycia smiled. 

I didn’t say anything else, instead teasing her folds with the tip of my tongue. I heard her gasp, felt her fingernails dig into my shoulders. I explored further, slowly at first, then harder, alternating between the tip of my tongue fluttering across her most sensitive spots, and then long strokes. Finally, I sucked her inside my mouth and she let out a loud moan and pulled my head against her, hard. 

“Make me come,” she moaned.

I obliged just a few moments later, tasting her spill over my lips, gently bringing her down from her high. I pushed myself up on my knees, holding her tightly, gently kissing her neck. When she stopped shaking, I helped her stand, holding her tight against my body in case her knees were weak. 

“Time to fulfill that fantasy,” I smiled at her. 

She let me turn her around, pressing her against the glass wall of the shower. I reached around, flicking her nipples. She groaned at the mixture of sensations, the cool glass, the warmth of my body, the smoothness of my skin, the roughness of my fingers. I pulled her hips back slightly to allow me better access and I gently pushed one finger inside her, then two.

“Fuck,” Alycia groaned. 

She reached back with one hand, grabbing my thigh. The other she pressed against the glass, helping her to keep her balance. 

I started with a slow, steady rhythm. Soon, her breathing became ragged and I sped up, keeping time with the buck of her hips. I pressed my chest and stomach against her back as she came, nearly having to hold her up. 

It didn’t take her as long to recover this time, though, and soon she had turned and pushed me back against the opposite wall. With a hand, she lifted my foot onto the bench and knelt before me. Before I had time to say anything, she distracted me, pushing all thought out of my mind. Between her fingers and her tongue, and the fact that I was already incredibly turned on, I didn’t last long, and soon she was the one holding me tightly. We sat down together on the bench, soaked with water and sweat, both breathing hard. 

“When you asked what I wanted to do today, this is pretty much what I had in mind,” I chuckled.

Alycia curled against me, kissing my shoulder. “Good, although there is a winery museum I’d like to see, also.”

“Well, then I guess we’d better make ourselves presentable and go join society once again.”

“Think you can keep your hands off me for a couple hours?”

“Definitely not,” I said. “But I can at least try to keep us from getting arrested.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alycia faces the fallout after Episode 307 airs and she starts to doubt her new relationship.

Chapter 13 

The next week flew by in a haze. We spent our mornings tangled with the sheets, with each other. The afternoons we hiked, shopped in little stores, visited museums, ate at cafes, lounged by the beach. In the evening, we ate dinner on the terrace, watching the sun sink slowly below the horizon. Our nights were spent in each other’s arms, exploring everything about each other with our fingers, our tongues, our lips. 

Our second week started the same way. I was up first, as usual. I could feel the daylight creeping in before I even opened my eyes. Alycia had casually thrown one of her legs over mine in the middle of the night and when I turned toward her, the movement was enough to wake her upend she curled into me, enjoying the last few moments of sleepy bliss before wakefulness. We were both pulled out of it a little sooner than we wanted when Alycia’s phone started dancing across the top of the bedside table. 

She stared at it curiously for a moment. A week without using it and she’d almost forgotten what it was for. Finally, though, she reached out, glanced at the screen, and opened it. 

“Hello?”

I turned over, climbed out of bed, and searched for my pants where they’d been discarded the night before. While I walked towards the terrace, the tone in Alycia’s voice drew me back to her conversation. I normally tried not to eavesdrop but this time I had to. 

“What do you mean? No, I haven’t been online…Well, I told them that it was going to be pretty controversial…Oh…Well, I’m in Greece right now. I honestly can’t do much about it from here…No, I’m not coming home right now…I’ll look online and see what’s going on. Maybe I can do some damage control or something…Yes, I’ll call you when I get back to the States.”

Alycia ended the call, then spent several minutes flipping through her phone. Her eyes got wide, she swallowed hard, chewed on her lip. I went back to the bed and sat down next to her, placing a gentle hand on her back. 

“Is everything alright?”

She shook her head. “Not even close. Did you ever watch The 100?”

“Yeah, the first and second seasons.”

“Well, the third season has been airing. I completely forgot that episode seven aired in the US about half an hour ago.” 

“It’s easy to lose track of time here,” I said, kissing her shoulder. 

“Yeah. Well, do you mind if I spoil this season for you.”

“Sure,” I nodded. 

“Well, Clarke and Lexa had a relationship in the third season. And in the seventh episode, they had sex. And then about five minutes later, Lexa dies.”

“Oh, shit,” I shook my head. “That’s not going to go over very well.”

“Yeah, well, I said that but there was a lot of complicated stuff going on with me doing both shows at once. It got messy. I died.”

“Yeah, I’d say that was messy.”

“Well, it’s even worse than I thought.”

Alycia handed me her phone and I scrolled through her Twitter feed. My stomach dropped. 

“Holy fuck,” I groaned. “This is what happens when straight dudes write queer content. They fuck it up.”

Alycia nodded. “I didn’t feel like I could really fight much more strongly for it. It would have meant outing myself. I wasn’t ready for that.”

“I understand that, but this is kind of a big deal, Alycia. There are a lot of queer people out there who really looked up to that character. She was a badass lesbian who was completely unapologetic about her sexuality and it was treated as completely normal. A lot of people are going to be heartbroken. This is pretty normal for same-sex couples on TV.”

“What do you mean?”

I leaned back against the headboard of the bed. “For decades, the censors in the US would only allow same-sex female content on TV if one of the women was evil or was killed. It was this horrible trope that if a woman loved another woman, she’d either die or she was a villain. While that’s not necessary now, it seems like a lot of TV shows and movies are still living based on that rule. We have limited content that looks like us. Plenty of lesbian, bi, and trans girls grow up without seeing characters on TV who look and act like them. And when we do have those characters, they die or they’re really shitty portrayals that are just softcore porn with no character development.”

“So Lexa was a bigger deal than I thought.”

I nodded. “You checked all the boxes, Alycia. She was strong, intelligent, beautiful, sexy, but also vulnerable. A lot of women and girls, not just the gay ones, looked up to her. I’m sure there were a lot of people who would have been sad about her death, but are especially upset and frustrated with how it happened.”

Alycia stood up. I could see the expression on her face. The sadness, the confusion, the anger. There was a lot going on inside her, so I let her walk away, out to the terrace. She stood for a long time, looking out over the ocean with her hands tightly gripping the handrails. I didn’t know what to say or what to do. So I waited, watched. 

Finally, she turned and walked back into the room, swallowing hard. “I don’t know what to do,” she whispered, sitting down on the end of the bed. 

I sat next to her and she laid her head on my shoulder. “I wish I had answers for you,” I sighed. “But I don’t.”

Alycia stood up, pacing. “I can’t do this,” she said. “I just can’t.”

“You don’t have to do anything right now, Alycia,” I said, standing up and walking towards her. “We have time left here to relax and think about what comes next.”

Alycia pushed me away and I stumbled backward, shocked. 

“I mean this,” she said, gesturing towards both of us with a wave of her arms. “I can’t do us right now. I need space.”

I just nodded, not sure what to say. I grabbed my t-shirt off the back of a chair, my wallet off the bedside table. I shoved my phone in my pocket. “I’ll give you all the space you need. Just call me when you want me back.”

I shut the door on her, her protests following me out of the room. I moved quickly, nearly jogging down the sidewalk, up several flights of stairs, and darting into a crowd of tourists walking down the street. I was hurt. I was angry. I didn’t know what to do or what to say so I walked. I walked until my legs and feet burned and sweat ran down my back. I took long strides, chewing up distance until I made it down to part of the beach a few miles away from the hotel. 

My phone had rung several times since I left the hotel two hours earlier but I hadn’t checked it. I was still pissed off. 

My brain was going in a direction that I didn’t want it to. I wasn’t in the public eye. Alycia was. And being with me, being with any woman, was going to be difficult for her right now. She’d already become a symbol for the lesbian community with her role as Lexa. For her to come out as bisexual, so soon after her character had died, would get her involved in an incredibly complicated and possibly volatile conversation that could impact her career. I didn’t expect her to take that risk for me. Especially not since we’d only known each other for a few months, and had been together for a significantly less amount of time than that. I could already see it now. We’d spend the rest of our vacation together when I accepted whatever kind of apology she offered. We’d spend the next month and a half apart, talking on the phone, facetiming, Skyping, and then we’d be back in Mexico and slowly, we’d drift apart until, after filming wrapped, we’d never see each other again. 

I fished my phone out of my pocket as it rang for a third time. Sure enough, it was Alycia. This time, I answered. 

“Please, come back,” she pleaded, her voice thick with emotion. I could tell she’d been crying. “I’m so sorry. I’m just scared and…” she paused. 

“Alycia,” I started, but she interrupted. 

“Wait. I have to say what I need to and then you can say whatever you want to. I’m scared, but I’m even more scared not to have you in my life. I really do care about you, Kat. And I don’t know what this means and I don’t know what happens next. But, whatever it is, I want to face it with you by my side.”

“Are you sure, Alycia? This won’t be easy.”

“Please, come back to me.’

“I’m fairly far away. It’ll take me a while, but I’ll come back. Just give me the walk back to cool off.”

“Kat, I’m so sorry.”

“I know,” I said. “We’ll talk when I get back.”

I hung up the phone and took a deep breath. Standing, I pocketed my phone and started making the trip back toward the hotel with heavy footsteps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your patience and feedback. I know this story has been delayed but I appreciate you for sticking with it. I have several chapters already finished that I'll be adding over the next few weeks while I finish the final chapters. My goal is to have the story complete by the middle of November. I hope you all continue to enjoy Kat and Alycia's story as much as I have enjoyed writing it.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alycia and Kat wrap up their vacation and have a serious conversation about their future.

Chapter 14

It was our second to last night in Greece. I was lounging on the terrace, reading a paperback book I’d found in a little shop on one of our afternoon wonderings. I didn’t normally gravitate towards mysteries but I hadn’t had many options in English to choose from. We’d spent the past two weeks trying to navigate this new-found tension in our relationship. Alycia had done a few interviews over the phone to try to deal with some of the fallout from Episode 307. I’d sat with her, normally holding her hand or rubbing her feet, offering some kind of moral support. 

Afterwords, when she put down the phone, sometimes with fear in her eyes, we wrapped ourselves in awkward silences, trying to ignore the inevitable. At some point, our lives were going to go back to normal. At some point, we would leave this place. What then?

I flipped a page, not even sure if I was really reading at this point. But the words were comforting. I heard Alycia in the bedroom, packing her suitcase, trying to cram all our souvenirs into every available nook and cranny. I reached down absentmindedly and touched the small envelope in my pocket. It was a necklace I’d bought the other day when Alycia had gone off to buy fresh flowers from a stall on the main road. 

It was a small, silver feather. Delicate, looking like it should catch the wind beneath it and float away. I planned on giving it to her tonight after dinner. But I also knew that dinner meant a conversation. Alycia had told me that she wanted to talk. I hoped that I’d be able to give it to her. I hoped the conversation wasn’t a poorly disguised “Dear John” letter about how she’d always cherish our time together but she just couldn’t do it. 

The thought put a hard knot in my stomach. I was a lot more invested in this woman than I’d ever expected to be. 

Alycia walked out to the terrace and sat down next to me. I pulled her down so that we were laying beside each other. I threw my arm across her waist and pulled her closer. 

“Is everything packed?”

“For the most part. Just the stuff I need for tomorrow and to travel in. I wish I knew how to pack light.”

I laughed into her neck, luxuriating in her clean, earthy smell. “Years of practice,” I murmured.

“Well, maybe the next time we go on vacation, you can teach me.”

My heart skipped a beat. Next time? That was a good sign. 

Alycia rolled over so that she was facing me, our faces inches apart. It was a struggle not to lean in and kiss her but I could tell from the little furrow between her eyes that she was thinking about something and she wanted to talk. 

“I want to skip dinner tonight,” she said. “I have somewhere I want to take you instead.”

I nodded. 

She pulled me up and didn’t say a word. We dressed in silence and when we got up to the street, there was a car waiting for us. 

The car drove for half an hour. By the time it let us out, we were in a part of Santorini that I’d never seen before. Alycia asked the driver to open the trunk and she pulled out a basket with a smile on her face. 

“Picnic?” I asked. 

She just grinned and motioned for me to follow. 

I didn’t know how long she’d planned this but it had definitely been a while. The beach was private, or at least the part we were on was. There was a table down near the water with two chairs, a blue and white striped umbrella, and two bottles of wine chilling in a silver cooler. Alycia made me sit down and wouldn’t let me help while she pulled out meat, cheese, bread, olives, and an assortment of other things that made my mouth water. She filled one of my glasses with wine, another with water, and then she took her own seat. When she turned to me, she looked almost shy. 

“I hope you don’t mind the change in plans.”

“Are you kidding?” I asked, grinning. “This is amazing. I never imagined, in my life, that I’d get to eat dinner and drink wine on a private beach with a beautiful woman. I thought I might get lucky enough to pull security for such an event, but definitely not actually participate.”

Alycia giggled, ducking her head in embarrassment. “I’m not really used to making decisions in relationships. I’m really glad you like it.”

“Well, then all your past relationships have been with jerks because if this is what your decision making results in, you get to make all of them now.”

“How about fifty-fifty?” she asked. 

I nodded in agreement. We ate quietly for a few minutes, enjoying the sound of the water nearby. 

“So, I wanted to talk,” Alycia finally said, refilling her water glass with a nervous hand. 

I could see the shaking as she put the bottle down and moved her hands to her lap to try to hide it. I stood up and move my chair around to the other side of the table so I could sit closer to her. I took her hands in mine, stilling the shaking. 

“Whatever you want to talk about. You have all my attention.”

“You know we’re going back to the states and in a few weeks, we’ll be back at work in Mexico.”

I nodded. 

“I still want you to be my bodyguard. But I also want you to be my girlfriend. And I don’t know how that’s going to work. I don’t want to lose you, Kat. And I’m terrified right now. If I say you’re my girlfriend, then it might make things difficult on set and it might risk them replacing you. If I just say that you’re my bodyguard, then what does that mean for our relationship?”

I took a deep breath. Part of me was ecstatic. She wasn’t breaking up with me. But she had some legitimate concerns. 

“I think that if people find out we’re together, especially if they find out what we did during this break, then my credibility will probably be called into question. Until people see that I can do my job professionally and care about you at the same time. I’m not the first person to ever pull security who fell for the person they were supposed to be protecting. But I truly believe that we can do this. We’ll have to keep things as quiet as possible and be as professional as we can when we’re on set. Which means, we probably shouldn’t sleep together.”

Alycia started to protest but she stopped with a shy smile when she realized I was right. 

“And we should probably not spend as much time together. But we can text and there will be opportunities for us to spend a few minutes alone, just like there were before we took a break.”

Alycia nodded. “I really do care about you, Kat. I don’t want to lose you. And I know I already said that, but I mean it.”

“You’re not going to lose me.”

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the envelope. I opened it and poured the necklace out into my hand. Standing, I unclasped it and knelt down behind her to clasp it around her neck.   
“And just in case you’re ever worried about it. Just remember this. Even when we’re apart, you can look down and see this and remember me and just how much you mean to me.” 

Alycia stood, turning into my arms. I kissed her, hard, and we spent the rest of the evening talking, laughing, and running on the beach while the stars danced above us.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kat attends Comic-Con as Alycia’s bodyguard as their relationship gets a little more complicated.

Chapter 15

Daniel called me a week after I’d come back from Greece. I was standing in the kitchen. I’d just gotten off the phone with Alycia. She was in Australia, visiting her family. It was amazing to hear her voice and I knew that the four week wait until we started filming again would be the longest four weeks of my life. 

A couple days after I’d gotten back in town, I’d gone out to eat with Nick and Sam. They both tried to pump me for information. Sam, as far as I could tell, had already guessed. Nick was a little more clueless but he’d figured that, with my radiant glow and the healing evidence of a fingernail mark down the side of my neck, that I’d hooked up with someone in Greece. 

When I heard Daniel’s voice on the other end of the line, I had an instant guilty feeling in the pit of my stomach, like I’d done something wrong. 

“Hey, Kat. I’ve got a job for you.”

“Aren’t I supposed to be on vacation?”

“Yeah, well, I don’t think you’ll object to this. The cast asked the team to come back and provide security at Comic-Con in San Diego. They’re supposed to be there next week for a panel and autograph signing and an after-party on Friday. It’ll just be an overnight trip. Security shouldn’t be an issue at all but the cast was so happy with our performance in Mexico, they specifically requested us.”

“Yeah,” I agreed quickly, my heart beating a little faster. “Sounds like a plan.”

“Great,” Daniel nodded. “I’ll pick you all up in the van on Thursday and we’ll drive up there. We’ll stay overnight Thursday and just drive back Friday night after the party. I think most of the cast is heading out early the next morning and the security at their hotel is pretty tight.”

“Ok, I’ll be ready to go.”

Daniel hung up and I felt the familiar butterflies in my stomach. I’d get to see Alycia, even if only for a few hours. It wouldn’t be enough. Nothing would be enough until we got to spend the majority of our time together. But I’d make it work. 

The days to Thursday drug by, especially since I didn’t really have much to do. I hung out with my roommates, read my way through a couple more books, went on long, loping runs through the Los Angeles streets. Finally, I was climbing onto the van. Alycia had found out about Comic-Con the same day I had and she told me she was flying in Thursday morning and hoped to see me Thursday night. I was hoping the same thing since we were basically free to do our own thing until we met the cast Friday morning. 

Unfortunately, though, things didn’t quite work out that way. Between traffic and a delayed flight, we got in around 8pm and Alycia didn’t make it until 10. She called me when she got to the hotel. I could hear the frustration in her voice and I tried not to let her hear my own.

“Kat, I’m so sorry,” she started, but I interrupted. 

“Don’t worry about it,” I tried to sound nonchalant. “You need to get some rest. You have an early morning and I’ll see you at breakfast.”

“One day isn’t enough,” she sounded almost tearful. 

It was hard not to get emotional. I normally was the strong and solid one. Nothing touched me. But the sadness in her voice cut through me like a knife. I took a deep breath. 

“I know it isn’t. We won’t ever have enough time until we can take some time away again, where work and other people don’t get involved. Until then, we can make it work, beautiful. Now get some sleep and I’ll see you first thing in the morning.”

When I came out of the bathroom, Sam was sitting on the edge of one bed, Coop and Cap on the other. They all looked up at me. Coop grinned. 

“I fucking knew it,” he laughed. 

I tried to play it cool and maintain my last few seconds of dignity before my cover was blown. “Knew what?” I asked. 

“You and Alycia,” he said, pulling a face that clearly said I was acting like an idiot. “I mean, come on. I can’t have been the only one who saw it.”

“Nope,” Cap shook his head. “Definitely not the only one. I just didn’t think you had a chance in hell.”

“Oh gee, thanks,” I growled, moving his feet so I could sit down on the other bed next to Sam. 

“So when you all were in Greece, it was just pretty much 24/7 fucking, right?” Coop asked. 

I reached out and punched him hard in the chest. He rocked back on the bed, grabbing at his chest where I’d knocked the wind out of him. 

“No,” I said. “We did plenty of other things.” 

“Maybe so,” Sam grinned. “But I know from experience that she had one hell of a time.”

I rolled my eyes and fell back on the bed, covering my head with a pillow in the hopes that no one would see me blush. 

\----------

The next morning, we made it to the cast hotel right as they were getting there for breakfast. In all the hugs and arms and claps and catching up, Alycia and I were able to get lost for a moment. She pulled me in tight, her lips grazing my neck, her breath hot in my ear. 

“God I’ve missed you,” she breathed. 

The moment was over too soon and we pulled apart so no one else saw. When I turned and gave Kim a hug, I saw Coop’s face over her shoulder. He was watching me, actually looking a little sad. When I got the chance to talk to him later, he said, “I never thought about the fact that you’re here with her but you’re not with her, you know. It fucking sucks.”

I agreed with him. It did fucking suck. 

The Fear the Walking Dead panel was at 2:00pm with an autograph signing to follow. We were all spread out around the auditorium. The cast was sitting at the head of the room on a raised platform. There were rows of seats, quickly filling with people. I saw lots of cosplay Lexas in the crowd and I had a sick, sinking feeling that this might not go as planned. 

The panel started smoothly. The cast was introduced. A five-minute clip from the new season was played that really showcased all the cast members and their characters. My stomach did a little flip when Alycia popped up on the screen, covered in blood, looking like a total badass. 

Cap nudged me with his shoulder and nodded towards the screen. “You’ve got a pretty good looking woman, there.”

I grinned. Getting Cap’s approval, with his holdover of strict accordance to rules and regs from his ROTC and Officer days, meant the world to me. Finally, it was time for the panel to actually talk. 

I toned out most of their conversation and scanned the crowd. Since I’d actually been on set this season, a lot of the stories I was hearing were actual things that I’d experienced. My ears perked up every time Alycia got the chance to talk, hearing her lilting voice carrying back to the dark corner where I was standing. Every once in a while when I would look up, I’d catch her watching me and I’d have to duck my head quickly so I wouldn’t give anything away, standing there and smiling like an idiot. 

At the end of the panel, they took a few questions from the crowd. Most of them were general questions about the show, but it didn’t take long for the topic to turn to The 100 and Lexa. A young woman in dark leather stepped up to the microphone. 

“I don’t mean to get anything off topic,” she said, and the room visibly tensed, knowing what was coming. “But I wondered, Alycia, if you could comment on the treatment, specifically of Lexa but more generally of queer women in the media.”

Alycia paused for a moment before she answered. When she did, she looked up and found me at the back of the crowd. She smiled, then turned her attention to the woman who asked the question.

“You know, if you’d asked me that a month ago, I wouldn’t have been able to answer it. And I think that in itself speaks to the treatment of queer women in the media. And I should have known better. I have no excuse. Because it’s my community and it’s my history.” 

A ripple went through the crowd and I thought my knees were going to give out. I grabbed the back of a chair in front of me to keep upright. 

“Lexa means more to me than any character ever has. I hope that in my portrayal of her, I was able to honor the memory of all of the queer women who have been cast as the villain or who have been killed for no reason other than prejudice and as a lazy plot device. I hope that her death has shown what characters like her mean to lesbian, bisexual, and queer women around the world and that she will be a catalyst for change.”

The woman nodded, looking a little shocked and uncomfortable. 

“Just to clarify, did you just come out?”

“Yes,” Alycia nodded. “I did.”

I saw Kim on one side of her and Mercedes on the other side reach for her hands and give them a reassuring squeeze. 

“What educated you about the treatment of queer women in the media?” someone from the audience asked, taking advantage of the surprise in the auditorium. 

This time, when Alycia spoke, her eyes never left me. “I met this amazing, intelligent, strong woman. And I fell in love with her. She taught me a lot, about myself, and about my community.”


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alycia and Kat face the consequences of Alycia’s choices at Comic-con.

Chapter 16

Coop grabbed me from the back of the auditorium and led me out to the hallway. The cooler air snapped me out of my haze. I looked up at him. 

“Did she really say what I think she just said.”

Coop grinned down at me. 

“You sure did a number on her, Kat. I always knew you were something special.”

“Damn, son. You just gave me a compliment.”

“I just meant because you’re hot and all that shit.” 

“Yep, there it is.”

Coop smiled.

We met Nick, Cap, and Sam at the side entrance to the auditorium where the cast would be exiting at any minute. I still felt like I was in a daze. It must have been a dream. Because not only had Alycia come out, but she’d also said that she was in love with me. My head felt thick and heavy. 

Nick clapped a huge hand on my shoulder, nearly sending me sprawling onto the carpeted floor. 

“She was talking about you, wasn’t she?”

I nodded. 

“You go girl,” he grinned. 

I saw Daniel push his way through the crowd to the side door. He looked stern and pulled me aside with a rough hand. 

“What did you do?”

“Apparently I made Alycia Debnam-Carey fall in love with me,” I admitted.

Daniel rolled his eyes. “I always thought it was the guys I was going to have to worry about. Not you.”

I took a step backward. “Now listen, Daniel. I’ve been nothing but a professional the entire time that I’ve been on this job. I’ve protected not only Alycia but the lives of the other cast members and I put myself in the line of fire even after I developed feelings for her. If you are questioning my ability to do my job then you can accept my resignation right here and you can kiss my ass.”

Daniel paused for a minute, then a crooked grin split his lips. “You’re going to drive me to an early grave, but we’ll have a wild fucking ride on the way down. You’re good. I know you’re a professional and I won’t question that. Besides, if given the opportunity, I would have fallen for her myself.”

“I do seem to remember a certain Captain in Afghanistan that you got tangled up with in the motor pool, Sergeant.”

He rolled his eyes, laughed, and walked away.

“Everything good?” Cap asked, walking over.

“Yep,” I nodded.

The side door opened and the cast poured out into the hall. Event security had blocked off the end of the hallway but we could still see a crowd of fans standing there, phones out, hoping to catch a glance of someone famous. 

I felt a hand on my wrist and looked up. Mercedes was standing there. She leaned close to my ear. “Follow me,” she said, pulling me away. 

I let myself be led down the hallway and around the corner, then through a doorway to the cast lounge where the show stars and crew who were on the panels were able to relax. She opened the door and pushed me inside. Alycia was standing in the middle of the room, empty now except for the two of us. 

“Make it semi-quick,” Mercedes reminded us, gently. “We have to go sign some autographs and I have a feeling you’re going to be pretty popular this round.”

She shut the door behind her and Alycia nearly fell into my arms. I caught her and realized that she was crying so I held her close to me, pulling her body against me. 

“I can’t believe I just did that,” she breathed. “It feels so good, but so overwhelming.”

I kissed her forehead, kissed her cheeks, tasting her tears. Finally, I made it to her lips and we stood there for several moments, her lips warm and soft on mine. I pulled back finally, not wanting this moment to ever end. 

“I love you too,” I said. “I can’t believe you did that either but I’m here for you and I love you and —”

She interrupted me, trapping my lips beneath hers in a forceful kiss that nearly pushed me against the wall. 

“I love you, Kat. I’ve been wanting to tell you that for a long time but I had some work on myself I needed to do first. I came out to my parents when I was home. They supported me and said that they loved me no matter what happened. All I want is to be with you.”

“You’ve got me,” I promised.

Alycia grinned, kissed me again, and then checked her watch. “We have to go,” she said. 

We left the room and Alycia hurried to catch up with the rest of the cast. I quickly wiped my mouth with the back of my sleeve, afraid that traces of her lipstick might give us away. 

We walked to the event floor where everyone from the cast took their seats and got ready to welcome the huge line of people waiting for autographs. Even after the hour was up, there were still people in line so she cast stuck around as long as they could. 

I stood close to Alycia so I heard the comments from many of the people talking to her. They praised her bravery, thanked her for coming out, talked about how much Lexa meant to them or how awesome Alicia was and how they couldn’t wait to see her development. I felt so much pride in her and it was exciting to see her face light up when people shared their own personal stories.

Numerous people gave her gifts, including drawings of Lexa and someone gave her a stuffed squid. She took selfies, signed posters and t-shirts. Part of me never wanted this moment to end. It was great for her to see how much her coming out meant to people. 

Finally, the event staff told us that we needed to clear out so the cast left, waving goodbye and stopping for a few quick photo ops as they walked back into the hallway. The cast went into the lounge while the rest of us stood outside. 

“How long until the party?” Nick asked, his stomach growling audibly. 

I agreed with him. I was pretty hungry too and could have used a quick lunch break but I also wanted to wait for Alycia and to see what might happen next. I wouldn’t have said no to skipping lunch and eating something to take care of a different kind of appetite. 

“Four hours,” Cap said, checking his watch. “We’re supposed to meet the cast at the hotel at eight and walk them over to the venue.”

“What’s the plan until then?”

“Let me check.”

Cap opened the door for the cast lounge and walked inside. He stayed in there for a couple minutes and then when he came back out, the rest of the cast was behind him. 

“We’re all going to head over to the hotel with them. We can grab some food at the restaurant and hang out until it’s time to get ready. Then we’ll come back, change, and meet them back at the hotel. Oh, and Kat, Daniel’s going to bring your suit over to the cast hotel.”

“Why?”

“So you don’t have to leave,” he winked at me. 

“While I hate you both right now, I’m also extremely grateful.”

Alycia and I sat together on the bus, our hands clasped tightly together. I could feel her palm still sweating and remembered my own coming out and how nervous I had been. Needless to say, though, it hadn’t been as nerve-wracking as coming out in front of several hundred people. It would also be all over the internet before too long, with all kinds of strangers commenting and offering their insight and input. I wasn’t looking forward to that.

We got to the hotel and Alycia drug me straight through the lobby and to the elevator. I could hear the rest of the cast and the team laughing and making jokes behind us but I didn’t care. We barely let the door shut before we kissed. I could feel her body pressing against mine. 

I lifted the edge of her dress and ran my hand across the soft, smooth skin of her thing. She moaned into my mouth and pulled back from the kiss. “I’ve missed your hands so much,” she breathed. 

I grinned and picked her up. She wrapped her legs around my waist and I carried her out of the elevator as the door opened. 

“Which room?” I asked. 

“1408.”

I carried her to the door and then put her down so she could dig out her keycard and open the door. I followed her in and followed the trail of clothing to the bed. I had no idea a person could get undressed so quickly. There were both shoes, tossed by the closet. The dress hanging over the back of a chair, bra and panties discarded by the bed. I pulled off my own clothes quickly and dove under the covers, wrapping my arms around her and basking in the feel of her skin against mine. It was like a drink of water after a month in the desert. 

We kissed, my tongue probing her mouth gently, teasing her lips. I kissed her neck, her jawline, her collarbone. Her fingers trailed across my skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake. I shivered and she pulled me closer. 

“I’ve missed you,” she breathed into my neck.

“I’ve missed you too, Alycia,” I groaned to the ceiling, arching my back as her fingers started teasing their way down my stomach, across my hip, to the inside of my thigh.

With a growl from deep in my throat, I flipped her, pushing my weight against her, grinding my thigh against her so that she responded with a loud moan, digging her nails into my back. I gasped, arching against her again. We moved together for a while, basking in the feel of our bodies, the warmth of our skin. I finally shifted my hips and moved my hand between us, rubbing her gently, then with more pressure as she responded, bucking her hips against me. 

I kept our bodies pressed tightly together, kissed her neck, her cheek, anywhere I could get to. Finally, as I slid two fingers gently inside her, I trapped her lips with mine and felt a moan rip its way out of the back of her throat.

Her breathing was ragged, there was a thin sheen of sweat on her forehead, on her chest. I guided her hand down to me, kneeling and straddling her thing to allow her better access. She slid one finger inside me and I had to grip the headboard of the bed to keep from falling. We made love slowly, enjoying the feeling too much to jump over the edge yet. But both of us were getting close. I leaned toward her, nipping gently at her earlobe with my teeth.

I could tell, by the way her breath caught in her lungs, by the way her eyes rolled back, by her tightness around my fingers. She was getting close. I curled my fingers inside her. “Come with me,” I whispered in her ear. 

That was enough to send both of us over the edge and in a tangle of limbs and sheets we collapsed against each other, shaking, panting, our skin tender and alive in the cool air of the hotel room.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back on set, Alycia and Kat have to navigate a new reality while Kat’s commitment and professionalism are questioned.

Chapter 17

It was hot. Hotter than I’d remembered. Of course, we were also a little further south this time, out of the range of fire and whatever bullshit gang war we wondered into last time. It also didn’t help that filming today was out in the middle of nowhere with no cover. Some large umbrellas had been put up around the set to offer temporary cover for the cast and crew but I got bored standing in one place for too long. 

I downed another bottle of water, tossing it into the blue recycling bin at the end of the catering table, and grabbed a new one out of the case. Nick did the same. 

“Goddamn it is hot out here,” he growled, downing half the bottle in a long gulp. 

I grinned. “Guess you wouldn’t be familiar with this heat, huh chair force?”

He grinned back. “Damn right I don’t. Don’t blame me because you couldn’t score higher than single digits on the ASVAB. Though, I’ve worked in some tent hospitals that definitely lacked air conditioning.”

“Those were the days, huh?”

“Wouldn’t trade it for the world,” he agreed. “But I don’t think you could pay me to go back. I’ve actually been thinking about getting back into nursing. But, you know, for real this time.”

I laughed. “I think you meet all the criteria for having been a real nurse the last time. Besides, don’t you have a degree?”

“I’m an LPN but I don’t have my RN yet. I might go back for it. We’ve been paid pretty well for this gig. I think I can finally afford it without all the student loans and selling my soul to the lowest bidder.”

“You should. You’ve be good at it. And then you can patch me up when I go out and get broken again.”

Nick laughed.

His words, though, brought me back to the reality of our situation. We’d been on set for three weeks. There were another three or four weeks of filming, depending on how the weather cooperated. And then, it would be over. As time got closer, I knew I had a lot of things to think about, but a lot of them were questions and things that I didn’t want to think about. 

Alycia was filming now and while I wanted to stand around and watch her, I also knew that wasn’t the most professional thing to do. I grabbed an extra bottle of water and put it in one of my cargo pockets and then left to walk the perimeter of the set. Other than an excited fan who had snuck onto the set a week ago, we hadn’t had any issues. It was relatively boring compared to what we had experienced before but since no one was shooting at me or stabbing me, I was alright with the change in pace. 

I was halfway around the back of the set, wondering through a partially constructed set, when Jacinta came around the corner. I was surprised to see her but by the look on her face, she’d been trying to hunt me down. She looked pleased that I was surprised. I hadn’t seen or heard much of her in a while. We’d had a few conversations. I’d probably flirted. But she wasn’t my type and her obsession with talking shit about the actors on set had turned me off pretty hard once I’d gotten to know Alycia. 

She smiled. “Kat, how are you?”

“Good,” I said, already feeling uncomfortable. The look on her face made me feel like she was the cat and I was the bird and it wasn’t going to go well. 

“I’ve been meaning to come find you since we got back to set. Sounds like you had an interesting break.”

“Not really,” I shrugged. 

“Everyone’s been talking about it,” she continued, ignoring me. “The beauty and the beast, huh? Guess I understand now why you didn’t want to hang out. So, tell me, how’s it feel to be the fuck toy for the cast? Did you just work your way through everyone until you finally found a good fit or what?”

I laughed. My reaction caught Jacinta off guard and she took a step backwards but I couldn’t help it. Her words had been so ridiculous. And no one knew the truth, that Alycia and I hadn’t even had sex until after filming had wrapped. They didn’t know how hard we’d tried to fight it and stay apart. How hard we worked, even now, to maintain our professionalism and separate our personal and private lives. So I just laughed. 

“Oh Jacinta,” I finally gasped when the laughter had died down. “You’re so pathetic it’s not even funny. I was never into you. Say what you want, believe what you want, but at the end of the day, you’re a miserable fucking human being and that’s why you’re alone. Don’t blame it on anyone but yourself.”

“That’s not…I wasn’t…” She stammered her way through a few excuses. 

I laughed again. “Go ahead. Take your time. I’m sure you’ll come up with something eventually.”

She glared at me. “She’s just going to use you up and get rid of you. You can’t compete with her. You’re some fucking blue collar, uneducated piece of trash that she’s going to throw away when she’s done with you.”

That one hurt. She’d touched on a deep-seated fear that I’d spent a lot of time trying to push away. But I didn’t let it show.

“Maybe so, but I still had one hell of a ride. It doesn’t matter what happens in the end. It’s worth it, Jacinta. Say and think whatever you want. You’re not important enough to me for me to care about your opinion.”

Jacinta growled at me, low in the back of her throat. I’d hurt her pride and she was going in for the kill. 

“It’s a shame you couldn’t be professional enough to actually do your job. I’m surprised no one got hurt —”

I cut her off, three quick steps forward and she was backed against a wall. My face was dangerously close to hers, my mouth a jagged glare. 

“You spoiled, fucking little bitch,” I growled. “I had stitches in my hip. Someone did get hurt, because I fucking did my job. And it was me. No one else. We all did our jobs. We have poured blood, sweat, and tears into this production keeping people safe. Even an ungrateful shit like you. You don’t know me or what I’ve done, so don’t you dare even begin to assume what kind of person I am and don’t even begin to question my professionalism or you’ll find out exactly what the Marines made me. Now fuck off somewhere before I lose my professional demeanor and my self-control.”

Jacinta made a squeaking noise in the back of her throat and as soon as I took a step backwards, she darted around the corner of the wall and was gone. I felt my hands shaking, sweat beading on my forehead. I gulped a mouthful of water, took a few deep breaths, felt myself regaining control. I found a little shade under the overhang of a nearby roof and crouched beneath it. 

I wondered how much other people were questioning my professionalism, my ability to do my job. How many people through Alycia and I were screwing every chance we got? How many people thought that I was just there for the T and A and didn’t have what it takes to do my job? What about the members of my own team?

I heard someone clear their throat and I looked up. Mercedes was standing nearby. Her face split into a grin when my eyes met hers. 

“You’re kind of a badass,” she laughed. 

I chuckled darkly and shook my head. “I don’t know if telling off some jealous chick is really all that badass.” 

“You stand up for yourself. A lot of women don’t know how to do that. Besides, she deserved it. Jacinta’s only on the production because her uncle is one of the producers. She’s actually really crap at her job. I’ve made a few pretty major continuity mistakes because of her that we’ve had to go back in post-production and fix. It’s really annoying to have to do that because of someone else.” 

I chuckled again and leaned back against the wall. Mercedes came and sat next to me.

“Just to let you know, no one here is talking about your professionalism. We know you didn’t hook up with Alycia until the break, and we all remember what you did for us during the firefight at the restaurant, and with Alycia in the alley. You got really hurt for her. None of us are questioning you. In fact, we’re encouraging the production company to use you all in the future for all our security needs. You all are great.”

“Thanks,” I sighed, feeling better. 

“Also, I know this isn’t any of my business, but Alycia really is in love with you. You’re not a fad or something that she’s trying out. She isn’t going to get rid of you and don’t let someone like her make you think otherwise.”

“She’s really out of my league, Mercedes. How can I compete with all the people out there she’s gong to be with?”

“I think that’s a fear in any relationship. My husband is an actor as well. We spend a lot of time apart from each other and he works with women who are a lot more beautiful and more accomplished than I am, but he chose me. And I think that’s the most important thing. You have a woman who loves you and who has chosen you. No relationship is guaranteed unless two people want to work at it and I can tell you that Alycia wants to work at it.”

I nodded, not sure what to say. Mercedes had said everything that i needed to hear and I felt better. My shoulders felt lighter. Alycia knew who I was and she had picked me, even when she had endless opportunities to pick other people. She’d come out with me by her side, not just to her family but to the world. 

“Now,” Mercedes bumped my shoulder with hers and stood up, “you need to follow me because we’re done filming for the day and you have a girlfriend who would like to see you for dinner.”

I let Mercedes help me up and we walked back towards set together.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the end of filming, Alycia and Kat face a reality where their lives go in separate directions.

Chapter 18

The party was in full swing. There was an open bar. The dance floor was crowded with bodies. A DJ at the front of the room kept up a steady string of fast-paced beats and pumping base. There were round tables with chairs on both sides of the dance floor and a buffet table piled high with food at the back. The producers had rented out a hotel in Hermosillo in Mexico near where we had been filming for the wrap party. We’d gotten in the night before and the day had been spent relaxing pool-side, exploring the city, and relaxing. 

Tomorrow, most of the crew would head out, back to their families and homes. The next day most of the cast would fly out, the team and myself included. Back to LA. 

Because of that, I wasn’t really in the mood to party. I’d not been wanting to bring Alycia down with me, so when we finished eating and I stumbled my way through a few dances, I’d made the excuse that I needed some fresh air and left her with Kim and Mercedes, walking out onto the large balcony just outside the banquet room where the party was being held. 

With all the fun going on inside, it was mostly deserted save for a few smokers and a couple of lovebirds cuddled up in one corner, speaking softly to each other in Spanish. I leaned against the railing and looked out at the glittering lights of the city. I didn’t know how long I was standing there, but at some point I heard the sound of familiar footsteps on the floor behind me and a smile curved my lips. 

“Hey, beautiful,” I said, not even having to turn around. 

Alycia leaned next to me, so close that her arm brushed mine and goosebumps jumped up on my skin. 

“Hey,” she kissed me gently on the cheek. “I started to miss you. Is everything alright?”

“Yeah,” I nodded. “I just came out here to do some thinking.”

“And what are you thinking about?”

I looked at her sadly. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s probably the same thing I am. I just try not to think about it by drinking too much wine and dancing until I’m exhausted.”

“How’s that working?” 

Alycia snorted a mirthless laugh. “Not enough wine in the world.”

I nodded again. I knew the feeling. Most of the team were already half-a-dozen beers in, if not more by now. I’d chosen not to drink. Drinking never kept me from thinking. Normally, it just made it worse. I reached out and took Alycia’s hand in mine. 

“So, what now? I’ve never done this before, you know? How do long-distance relationships work?”

Alycia smiled. “Pretty well, what with cell phones and everything.”

I laughed. “I know that part. But, you know what I mean.”

Alycia sighed. “Both of us are flying into LA. I have an apartment there and I live there most of the year when I’m not working. I think you should move in with me.”

She said it so smoothly. I almost felt like I didn’t hear her. It took a second for it to sink in and when it did, my breath caught in my chest.

“You’re serious,” I said, turning to her, eyes wide. 

She laughed, but I could hear the nervousness behind it. “Yes, I’m serious. I love you, Kat. And I want to be with you. I’m in LA for at least the next three or four months. I’ve got a movie I’m filming for two months out of the city and then I’m back until the press tours and things start up again for Fear. I might have to do some small traveling, weekends, two or three days here, for press and photo shoots. But overall, I’ll be in LA full-time for a while. I think we should give it a shot.”

“Alright,” I agreed, letting it sink in. “I’ll need to let my roommates know. And I’ll at least need to pay them for the rest of the month but tell me when you want me to move in and I’ll be there.”

“How’s the day after tomorrow sound?”

“It sounds pretty perfect.”

“It might take some getting used to, though. My bed isn’t a mattress on the floor.”

I laughed. “That was just for convenience, alright. I can sleep in a real bed. I think I’ve proved that by now.”

“You’ve gotten better at it,” Alycia teased.

“So, just the two of us, in an apartment, no one else, huh?”

“Yeah,” Alycia nodded. “I think I could get used to the idea of a little more privacy. It’ll be like being back in Greece.”

I grinned. “I can definitely get used to that.”

“Here,” Alycia tightened her grip on my hand and pulled me away from the balcony. “Let me give you a little taste of what to expect.” 

I let her lead me off the balcony, through the crowded room, into the hotel hallway. She was silent as she led me to the elevator, down another hallway, and stopped at the door to our room. She unlocked it, pulled me inside. The lights were off, the room was dark, and she let go of my hand and took a few steps away. 

“Stay there,” she whispered. 

A shiver went down my spine.

When she came back, I felt her behind me and she reached her arms around me and tight a thin piece of material around my eyes. I recognized it as a scarf that she’d worn a few days ago, but I was very happy to have it repurposed as a blindfold. I couldn’t keep myself from grinning like an idiot as she took my hand and led me toward the bed, careful not to bump me into anything on the way. 

She pushed me down so that I was sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Is this alright?” she asked, concern in her voice. “I don’t want to do anything you’re not comfortable with.”

“Oh, believe me. I am very comfortable with this right now.”

“Good,” she said, and I could hear the smile in her voice again, the confidence creeping back in. 

I heard the rustle of fabric and a few moments later, Alycia reached for my hands. She pulled them close and I felt the bare skin of her stomach under my fingers. She guided my hands up and down her body, allowing me to feel her nakedness, the heat of her skin, the softness. I shivered.

She knelt before me, taking off my boots, my socks, then stood me up and undid my belt, dropping my pants to the ground, pulling off my shirt and bra, pushing down my underwear. She sat me back down on the bed and knelt again, kissing the inside of my knee while she pulled the rest of my clothes off my feet, tossing them somewhere on the floor behind her. I groaned as she continued to kiss up my calf, both knees, inside my thighs. She pushed my legs apart to allow her better access and with a strong hand on my chest she pushed me down on the bed. 

I gasped as I felt her tongue against me, gentle at first, flicking and fluttering in all the right spots. Then harder, pushing into me, tasting me, filling me up. I gripped her shoulders, moved one hand to her head and pulling it hard against me. She moaned against me and I pushed my head back into the mattress, arching my back as she continued to lick.

We’d had some time together in the last month in Mexico. But never enough time. Neither of us trusted the thin trailer walls enough to really lose control. Now, we were making up for lost time. 

Alycia stayed between my legs for several minutes and when she finally stopped it was everything I could do to keep a sigh of disappointment from escaping. She started climbing up my body. I could feel her skin against mind. Her warm mouth trailing kisses across my stomach, my ribs, sucking each nipple, kissing my collarbone, nibbling at my neck with her teeth. I writhed on the bed, grabbing at the sheets, grabbing at her. Wishing I could rip the blindfold off my face and see her. Instead, she kissed my lips, hard, pushing her tongue into my mouth, gently dragging her nails across my skin where her lips had been seconds before. 

“Tell me how badly you want this,” Alycia whispered in my ear. 

“I want it so bad. More than I’ve ever wanted anything.”

“Beg me.”

“Please, please Alycia.”

Her hand started making its way up the inside of my thigh. 

“Tell me what you want, Kat.”

“I want you.”

“What do you want me to do to you?”

“I want you inside me. Please.”

With that, she was. And I moaned digging my nails into her back. She grabbed my other hand and moved it so that I was rubbing against her, feeling her heat, her wetness. I tried to find a rhythm somewhere in my pleasure, trying to regain enough control so that I could get us to the edge together. 

Alycia moaned into my mouth, still kissing me hard. 

“Take off the blindfold,” she ordered.

It was off in a second, tossed away. I could see her even in the darkness of the hotel room. Her cheeks were flushed. Her hair messy. Her lips swollen with the intensity of our kisses. She smiled at me, kissed me again, and we were there, together. Groaning and shaking in each others' arms. 

Later that night, curled together, our bare skin hot in the cooling air of the hotel room, we smiled and kissed, looking forward to a future where both of us were a part of it.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A rumor puts more strain on Alycia and Kat’s Relationship.

Chapter 19

I got home late. It was after nine. I dropped my backpack in the entryway, put my keys in the wooden bowl by the door. The apartment was quiet. Alycia was gone for the weekend. A Vogue shoot in New York. She’d be back tomorrow morning, though and I was happy for the time change because an early flight from New York meant an early arrival in LA. 

It had been almost six months since the end of Fear. I was still working with Daniel, getting pretty regular jobs and some pretty high-profile clients after word of our experiences in Mexico had become common knowledge. Alycia had done a story for a well-known lesbian website about her coming out story and our relationship and had included the part where I took a knife in the hip and nearly got my shoulder wrenched out of socket. It had been interesting to read her perspective, to hear how she’d first started falling for me when she’d seen me sitting outside on set, reading a book, looking, in her words “so cute and thoughtful, absorbed in another world” and how “I knew I had to get to know her at that exact moment, and I think I started falling in love with her five seconds later.”

She’d gotten an offer to play a queer character in a pretty high profile movie with some pretty big names in it and it was due to start filming next week but, thankfully, it was going to be shot in LA so we’d still get the chance to spend time together. She’d just gotten back last week from filming a smaller independent film in Toronto but I’d gotten to go visit her on set for a couple weeks so it actually hadn’t been too bad. In the past six months, we’d been able to spend more time together than apart. 

Alycia had called me a couple hours earlier before she went to bed. She’d told me I could call her again tonight but I didn’t want to wake her up. 

There had been some rough times, too. There had been a rumor going around that I was cheating after a paparazzi had gotten a picture of me sitting with a woman at lunch. Of course, the woman was Sam and that was easy to dispute. Alycia had also been getting a lot of attention from a female coworker that she had worked on the indie film with, but she’d been transparent with me and told me that the woman had been interested and she’d turned her down. Our communication had improved. We were honest with each other. 

Which is why it hurt so badly when I got out of the shower an hour later, ready to head to bed, and saw that I’d missed a text message from Alycia. It said:

 

\- You know it’s not true. I’ll explain everything when I get back tomorrow morning. I’m so sorry, Kat.

 

I replied:

 

\- What are you talking about, Alycia? Why don’t you explain everything now? What’s going on?

 

The next message I got, ten minutes later, wasn’t from Alycia. It was from Sam. 

 

\- Hey, thought you’d want to see this.

 

She’d sent me a link. I opened it. The headline said “Trouble in Paradise Sends Actress into the Arms of Another Woman.” Inside was a whole story about how Alycia and I had been spending all this time apart and included quote from some “inside source” about how we just weren’t connecting anymore and Alycia had been finding solace in the arms of another woman. But what really made my stomach sink was the picture. 

It was definitely Alycia and the actress from the film she had worked on. The one she said had been interested in her. They were sitting at a restaurant, across from each other at the table, leaning toward each other, hands clasped in the center of the table. I felt sick.

I shut my phone, chucked it across the floor. I climbed out of bed and walked into the living room, turned on the TV, and sat there, head in my hands. Part of me felt rage, part of me felt hurt, part of me felt numb. I didn’t know what to do, or what was going on. 

I heard my phone ring in the other room and sprinted to get it. I answered on the third ring. It was Alycia. 

“Alycia, what the hell is going on?”

“Kat, I’m so sorry. Please let me explain.”

“Then explain.”

“I never cheated on you. I promise.”

“Just explain, Alycia. Just tell me the whole story. I promise I won’t interrupt.”

I could tell Alycia was upset. I could hear it in her voice. The fear, the tears. But there was something else there. Guilt. It made me feel even sicker and the room was spinning. I closed my eyes. 

“Julia came on to me pretty early when I got to the set. She said that she had seen my coming out story and that she had read the article and that she was proud of me, but that she was also interested. She gave me a lot of attention. And I was stupid, Kat. I was lonely and scared. It was around the time that the picture of you and Sam came out. Actually, it was that night. I saw the picture online and I couldn’t get in touch with you. You were at work. I know that now. But I didn’t then.

“Julia and I went out to dinner that night. I told her that I was scared that you might have found someone else. Someone who was there, with you, and could keep you company when I was gone. That was when the picture was taken. She was comforting me. Or at least, that’s what I thought it was. Now I know she was just trying to take advantage of me. I drank too much that night and when she dropped me off at the hotel, she kissed me. And I kissed her back.”

I heard my phone creak as my hand tightened around it. 

“I didn’t do anything more than that. A second later I pushed her off of me and I went into my room and went to bed alone. I never had anymore contact with her alone. We never went to dinner together again. We never did anything, I promise.”

I was blind with anger. I knew that Alycia would kiss other people. She was an actress. It was part of her job. But in my head, I could feel her lips against mine. Their warmth, their softness. I could feel her body against mine when she kissed me. And in my head, someone else was feeling that too. Julia had felt the warmth of her lips, the arch of her body as she leaned into the kiss. 

The anger dissipated and was replaced with nothing. When I spoke, my voice wasn’t my own. It didn’t sound like me, even in my own ears. 

“I don’t know what you want me to say, Alycia. I think maybe we need to spend some time apart. I don’t know that either of us are really ready for this kind of relationship. I feel so insecure and so uncomfortable and now, this has just reinforced all of my fears, that you’ll go off and leave me for someone you found on set. Maybe we aren’t here, right now. Where we need to be to make this work.”

“I don’t want to lose you, Kat.” 

She was sobbing now. It was almost enough to make me lose my resolve. Instead, I pushed forward. 

“It’s too late for that. I’m going to move my things out tonight and I’ll be gone by the time you get home tomorrow, Alycia. I can’t do this. I’m sorry.”

I hung up the phone, then turned it off.

I didn’t have much stuff. A duffle bag, a backpack, and a grocery bag filled with some of my favorite books. I’d have to leave the rest behind, stuffed in Alycia’s bookcases that I’d pretty much taken over since I moved in. I turned back on my phone and notifications starting going off. Fifteen text messages, five missed calls and voicemails. I ignored them, called Daniel instead. 

“Hey, man. Do you think you could help me out? I need a place to stay for a couple days. Could you come pick me up?”

I gave him the address. On the way out, I stuck the apartment key in our, no, Alycia’s, mailbox. The sound of Daniel’s car door shutting as I climbed in sounded too loud in my ears.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eight years later, Officer Katherine Sands receives a letter that pulls her back into a past she thought long forgotten.

Chapter 20

“Hey Sands, any weekend plans?”

I shoved my uniform shirt into my bag. Shrugged. “Not really. I have tickets for the Bruins game on Sunday but tomorrow I plan on doing absolutely nothing. I’m exhausted.”

“Yeah, sixty hour week. But at least the pay is good.”

“I’m not going to complain. Sixty hours on Monday to Friday first shift is still better than sixty hours on nights and working weekends.”

“That’s right. You started days this month. How do you like it?”

“Love it,” I laughed. 

Natasha Aaron smiled, pulling on her t-shirt. Both of us changed at the station at the end of the day. I had a long drive home and I liked to go to the park for a jog some evenings so it was easier to just take off the uniform. Natasha picked up her kids at their after school program and didn’t want to go in dressed as a cop with a gun on her hip. She didn’t live in a great neighborhood and thought it was safer that way. She didn’t want her kids to become targets. 

“More car accidents but less drunks for sure.”

“Yeah,” I nodded in agreement. I did days with my TO after the academy. I don’t mind the accident reports. It’s better than having to hose out the back of my car every week or so when someone pukes up a bottle of cheap whisky in there.”

“No shit,” she agreed. 

We finished changing, grabbed our bags, and walked to our cars together. Boston in October was cool, but after six years, I was finally getting used to not having LA weather year round. 

Daniel had helped get me a job with Boston PD. An old friend of his was doing recruiting and he’d been able to get my application on the right desk. The rest had been up to me, but with my experience and my perfect PT score, it had been pretty easy. The academy was tough, then field training, and five years working weekends and nights. Last year I’d finally gotten weekends off and then just a few weeks ago, I’d been switched to day shift. There was a training slot at the academy I was going up for. It was a nice job, more limited overtime, Monday to Friday from 7a-4p and a pay increase for the two years that I’d be part of the training staff. From there, it would be an easy move into the narcotics detective slot I’d been holding out for. 

They’d pulled me in on some cases, which was unusual for someone with less than ten years on the department, but I had a good reputation and they appreciated me putting in hard work. Besides, with no kids or family, I didn’t mind working the long hours. 

In fact, it had helped me afford a pretty nice house and a couple acres of land outside of Boston which would have been outside my budget if I hadn’t pulled in a lot of overtime my first few years there. 

It was a forty-five minute drive from the station to my house but most of the time I was heading away from traffic and I’d put on some music, roll down the window, when it wasn’t too cold, and enjoy the ride. Today, I skipped the run. I had a path mowed around my property and two loops around equaled a mile so I’d get in my workout before too late but after I’d had the chance to wind down. 

I still stayed in touch with most of the old team. Sam had gotten married last year. I’d been the maid of honor. She and her wife were expecting a baby, a boy, here in the next few months. Coop and Daniel were still running the security company but it had expanded. Coop was now running a hub out of New York that primarily worked with major businesses and providing security for politicians and international business reps. Daniel still ran the hub in LA that dealt with celebrities and events. Every so often, I’d get the chance to run a team for them. They still asked occasionally for me to come back into the business, and they could actually offer me a better salary than BPD could, but I liked not having to travel as much. 

Nick had gone back into nursing. He’d gotten his degree and was working on a pediatric unit in LA with a good chance to become the charge nurse in the next year or so. He was also teaching nursing classes at UCLA on the weekends. Cap had reenlisted a couple years ago, gone back to Afghanistan. Unfortunately, we’d received word that he’d been killed in the line of duty about six months back. We’d all reunited at his funeral where his parents lived in St. Louis. We’d spent the day mourning with his family and the night howling at the moon in his honor, full of liquor and memories. 

I drove into the garage and then walked back down the driveway to grab the mail. Mostly junk, of course. Coupons, an advertisement from a new dentist that was looking for patients and offering a free cleaning, a flyer about a bake sale at the local Methodist church. But buried inside all that paper was an envelope. My address was hand-written on the front. There was a real stamp in the corner, like someone had put it there instead of a business printing it on. In the left corner, an address from Hillsborough, North Carolina. 

I walked inside, tossed my bag down in the laundry room as a reminder to wash my uniform later. I went into the kitchen, grabbed a drink out of the fridge, and sat down at the table to open the letter. 

When I did, my jaw almost hit the floor. And I’m certain my stomach did. All these feelings rushed back. The fear, the anger, but also the love and the passion. I felt goosebumps on my arm, sweat prickling the back of my neck. I unfolded the papers inside and read:

 

Dear Kat,

 

I know I’m probably crazy to try to reach out to you after so many years, but I had to try. I called Daniel a few weeks ago and after a lot of begging and the promise that I would only write to you and now show up at your front door, he finally gave me your address. Please, don’t be mad at him. I called him every day for almost a month. He really did try not to give it to me. In fact, I can’t even be certain he gave me your real address. But I hope you’re reading this. 

I still feel sick thinking about what happened between us. I ruined the best thing I ever had because I was insecure. I tried calling you and texting you for months after you left but I think you changed your number. Or were ignoring me. Either way, I don’t blame you. 

I should never have kissed that woman. I saw the picture of you and Sam out to lunch and I got scared. See, it’s funny, looking back at it now. You always thought that I was the one who might run out on you because I had these other opportunities with people when I was on set, but I was the one who was scared to lose you. Because I knew the truth. I knew how amazing you are. I knew about your intelligence, your courage, your determination and how hard working you were. I knew about your beauty and your passion. And I knew how lucky anyone would be to have you. And I was afraid that someone would come along and make you feel so much more than I ever made you feel. I didn’t feel like I was enough. 

And the moment I kissed that woman and then when I saw the headline a few days later, I knew I’d lost you, even before I called you. Because I knew you deserved better than me. And I hope you found better. I hope you’re happy and part of me hopes that you rip up this letter and throw it out and that you curl up with your girlfriend or wife on the sofa tonight with a drink and maybe you look back on the time we spent together with some love and happiness and fondness. But another part of me hopes that maybe you won’t.

Because I’ve never found better. I spent a while looking for it. And when I realized I’d never find it, I think I gave up. I finished a movie last year and I think it might be the last one I make. The passion has gone out of it for me. I haven’t felt that since the last time I felt your skin against mine. I moved. I got my little house in a little town, with my bookcases and a kitchen to drink tea in. I’m writing now, and teaching a few acting classes at Duke University, and I’m directing a production of “The King and I” at the local playhouse here in Hillsborough. But I still feel like I’m missing something. I know I’m missing something. So I had to try, Kat. 

If you can, if you want to, please write me back. 

 

All my love,   
Alycia

 

I sat and stared at the letter for several minutes, reading and rereading it, shuffling the pages back and forth. I acted before I knew what I was doing. First, I checked my calendar. Then, I pulled a piece of paper, a pen, an envelope, and a stamp out of my desk drawer. 

 

“Alycia,” I scrawled. “I don’t know why I’m doing this but I’ll be there November 5th. Maybe I’m crazy. But I’d like to see you.”

 

I signed the letter, sealed it, took it out to my mailbox and put the flag up. Then I pulled out my phone, called my captain. “Hey, is there any way I can have November 5th-12th off? I’d like to go visit my family before the holidays.”

“Sands, since you’ve worked here, you’ve only taken two weeks of vacation, in six fucking years. Take off until the 20th. I have an academy class graduating around that time and we’ll be getting some TOs and trainees who can cover you. I don’t need you burning out on me.”

“Sounds good, sir. I’ll take it.”

When we hung up, I opened my computer and checked flights to North Carolina. I could fly into Raleigh on a late flight that left the 4th. I’d get there around 3 in the morning, rent a car, sleep for a few hours, and then be there early enough to see what was going to happen next. I crawled into bed around midnight, my evening run forgotten. It was nearly sunrise before I finally got to sleep. 

—————

The flight landed a few minutes early, aided by a strong tailwind and a little luck. There was a storm headed up toward Boston and many flights scheduled for the next day had already been canceled but I’d gotten lucky. When I picked up my car, I saw a lot of people in sweaters and hoodies but North Carolina was almost thirty degrees hotter than Boston when I’d left so I soon came out of my jacket and was perfectly comfortable in a t-shirt. 

I stopped at a nearby McDonalds. I’d been planning to sleep at a rest stop or Wal-Mart parking lot for a few hours but I was too wired to sleep. Instead, I grabbed breakfast, a large cup of coffee, and wasted time flipping through a paperback I’d picked up at the Boston airport. I left the McDonalds at 7am to finish the drive to Hillsborough. It was less than half an hour. The town was beautiful, with clean streets, cute buildings, dozens of historical site markers scattered around. Even if things went badly, I figured I’d spend part of my vacation exploring the quaint little town. 

I pulled up to Alycia’s house and smiled. She’d gotten her dream home. It was older, Victorian, with a couple pointed towers and a large bay window. There was a wrap-around porch on the front and side of the home, a white fence out front, tall trees in the yard, bushes and flowers under the bay window. The house was a pale blue with decorative white edging and trim. I opened the door, deciding to leave my bag in the trunk. I didn’t want to be too presumptuous. 

I hadn’t seen Alycia on the front porch when I pulled up but when I climbed out of the car, she stood up, a chipped blue mug of tea cradled in both hands. When she stood, it almost took my breath away. 

I hadn’t really kept up with Alycia’s career. It had hurt too much. But I’d heard enough to know that she had done great things. She’d won awards, she’d traveled the world. I’d had to turn talkshows before because she was on them. She’d been in movies and on TV. She’d worked in LGBTQ advocacy and been involved in a major motion picture with mostly queer actors that had been one of the top-grossing films of the year. She’d been in a great science fiction movie that I’d inadvertently been taken to on a date a few years back where she played the captain of an interstellar mining vessel that uncovered an alien craft getting ready to attack Earth. But as amazing as she looked on screen, it was nothing compared to her in person. 

Age hadn’t touched her in the eight years since I’d seen her. Her skin was smooth, her hair pulled back in a braid that fell just past her shoulders. She was wearing jeans, a loose white sweater that fell off one shoulder. I tried not to stare as I walked up the sidewalk to the front gate and opened it. 

“It’s been a long time, Alycia,” I said. 

When I looked back up at her, I saw a tear fall, running down her face to drip off her chin. “Too long,” she said, trying to control the shaking in her voice.

I walked up to the steps and then, with a deep breath, up to the front porch. Alycia had put down her tea and she reached out a hand to me, to shake mine. 

I felt my stomach twist. I looked in her eyes, those deep green pools that I used to get lost in, and time shrank. It hadn’t been eight years. I was transported back, to Mexico, to Greece, to San Diego. Every kiss, every touch, every taste. I grabbed her hand, then pulled her into my arms, hugging her tightly. I felt her stiffen at my touch, then sag against me, her body curving into the familiar shape of mine. And soon she was sobbing and I was crying silently, tears dripping onto her sweater. 

I don’t know how long we stood like that. Long enough that when we finally pulled apart, I felt the absence of her body against mine. She opened the front door, turned to get her tea mug. As I turned to walk in, she grabbed my wrist, looking at my arm.

“You got a new tattoo,” she said. 

I smiled. “I got several.”

“But this one,” I could hear it in her voice. 

The tattoo took up most of the inside of my right forearm. It was a feather, delicate, like the wind could come at any minute and blow it away. At the tip, green, like it had been dipped in ink, a small drip on my arm where it had fallen off. Alycia reached up to her neck and that’s when I saw it. The silver necklace I’d given her on the beach. The same feather. She looked up at me, mouth open, eyes full of questions. 

I reached up and took her chin gently in my hand. “I’ve never stopped loving you, Alycia. Not for a single moment of a single day since we’ve been apart. I took a piece of you with me when I left, the same way that I left a piece of me with you.”

She closed the distance between us and I felt her lips on mine, warm, wet, soft. It was a soft kiss, passionate, equal parts desperation and need without wanting to take it too far while our emotions were still so raw.

When I pulled back, her eyes were filled with tears. 

I brushed one away from her cheek with my thumb. “I’m going to need you to stop crying so we can talk.”

“We’ll have plenty of time this weekend to talk.”

“Actually, I got a little extra time off work. So if we need a little longer than this weekend, we can take our time.”

Alycia smiled at me, the gentle curve of her lips filling me up in a way that I hadn’t known in a long time. She took my hand in hers, tangling our fingers together. 

“I never stopped loving you, either,” she said, her voice so low I almost didn’t hear her. 

When she pulled me into her house, I barely waited until the front door was shut to push her against the hallway wall, trapping her lips beneath mine. Thankfully, I remembered to take her tea mug out of her hand and set it down on a nearby table before she started leading me towards the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thank you to everyone that stuck along for the ride. I hope you all enjoyed me trying something new. It was definitely fun. Check out my other stories and stay tuned for a new one here in the next couple weeks that I think all of you are going to enjoy.


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